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SIDELIGHTS ON 
NEGRO SOLDIERS 

CHARLES H. WILLIAMS 



Sidelights on Negro Soldiers 



BY 



CHARLES H. WILLIAMS 

Special Investigator of Conditions among Negro 
Soldiers in the World War 



With an Introduction by 

BENJAMIN BRAWLEY 



BOSTON 
B. J. BRIMMER COMPANY 

1923 



J) 






Copyright 1923 

By B. J. BRIMMER COMPANY 

First Edition, June, 1923 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 

THE AMBROSE PRESS, INC. 
Norwood, Massachusetts 



Dedicated to the Memory of 

/ID^ /iDotber 

K^ and to 

^ /ID15 Hunt 

V 

Mrs. Maria Burnside 



^ 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 

in 2009 with funding from 

Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries 



http://www.archive.org/details/sidelightsonnegrOOwill 



PREFACE 

/T is the purpose of this book to tell something of the 
achievement of the Negro soldier in the World 

War and to describe the conditions under which 
he lived as these were seen by the writer, who for eighteen 
months investigated conditions in America and France 
under the auspices of the Federal Council of Churches 
of Christ in America and of the Phelps-Stokes Fund, 
with the recommendation of the Secretary of War and 
the Adjutant General of the United States Army. 
Most of the information was secured by visits to the 
soldiers in the camps, by interviews with thousands of 
them, and by personal investigation in the communities 
adjacent to the camps, as well as by the study of records 
and documents. Camp commanders, officers in charge 
of Negro troops, representatives of all the welfare or- 
ganizations, city officials, and both Negro and white 
civilians were consulted in the effort to secure the facts 
concerning the fighting record, the work, the conduct, 
and the treatment of Negro soldiers in the course of 
the war. 

I am indebted to the Historical Branch of the War 
Department for access to its records on the operations 
of Negro combatant troops, to the office of the Adjutant 
General for special information, and to many friends 
for suggestions and help in the preparation of the 
material ; and it is hoped that the book now offered 

7 



8 PREFACE 

to the public may in some small way help the American 
people better to understand not only the perplexing 
situation but also the signal achievement of Negro m,en 
working and fighting in behalf of their country and in 
defence of the highest ideals of life. 

CHARLES H. WILLIAMS. 

Hampton Institute, 
December 75, IQ22. 



INTRODUCTION 

/T gives me great pleasure to write a word of intro- 
duction to this interesting and important book that 

Mr. Williams has written. The story of the Negro 
soldier is one of the romances of American history. Even 
in the days of the Revolution and the War of 1812 he 
played an honorable part ; but it was the Civil War 
that gave him his first large opportunity, and at Port 
Hudson, Fort Wagner, or Fort Pillow he passed 
through the baptism of fire, striving that the emancipa- 
tion of his people might be guaranteed and the integrity 
of his country preserved. We also remember another 
war, and Santiago and San Juan Hill, and not only 
how Negro men went gallantly to the charge but also 
how the soldiers in a black regiment faced pestilence 
and fever that their white comrades might be saved. 
Then came Carrizal, strange prelude of the great con- 
flict to come ; and once more, at an unexpected moment, 
the soul of the nation was thrilled by the courage of the 
Tenth Cavalry. " Theirs not to make reply ; theirs 
but to do and die.^^ So in the face of odds they obeyed 
orders and died beneath the Mexican stars. 

The recent World War, however, brought to the Negro 

people of the United States an interest and an anxiety 

surpassed only by the expectant hope in the days of the 

Civil War. They had come to the end of an era, and 

all the incidents and problems of their life in America 

9 



lo INTRODUCTION 

were suddenly brought to the testing. Vast forces be- 
yond their control were changing the destinies of 
thousands — in migration, in economic freedom, and 
even in spiritual outlook ; and unhappy events at 
East St. Louis and Houston but made the situation 
more critical. They were eager to serve, hut at once 
they came face to face with questions that concerned 
the very foundations of their citizenship. Would the 
men of the race, or would they not, be permitted to train 
and serve as officers ? If so, would they be dealt with 
as a distinct and separate race, as was the case with 
no other race in the country, or simply on the basis 
of physical and mental fitness ? Why, moreover, on 
the registration card for the draft should the Negro 
be singled out for a special corner ? To some people 
such questions may have seemed unimportant, but to 
the Negroes themselves they meant nothing less than 
life itself, and they followed the fortunes of their sons 
and their husbands accordingly. 

In the recent war then, as in no other, the social as 
well as the military phases of the life of the soldier 
assumed a new importance. Wherever he went, with 
whomever he came in contact, in America or in France 
— in the life of cantonment cities, in his dealing with 
his comrades in arms, in his contact with the people 
of France — the Negro in uniform met situations that 
had definite bearing upon his health, his conduct, and 
his morale. Frequently these came to the attention 
of the War Department, and sometimes also they re- 
ceived prominence in the public press. Of such sort 
were the vexatious discussions that sometimes arose 
in the Y. M. C. A. and other welfare organizations, 



INTRODUCTION ii 

the reports reflecting on the character of Negro men, and 
the complaints not only about the actual operation of 
the draft but also about the conditions under which the 
soldiers, especially those in stevedore units, sometimes 
lived and worked. Of distinct service to the country 
accordingly was the decision of the Federal Council 
of Churches of Christ in America, working in co- 
operation with the Phelps-Stokes Fund, to appoint 
two field secretaries, one to study the situation in so far 
as it had to do with Negro churches, and the other to 
study and report on every phase of the life of the Negro 
soldier in camps and cantonment cities, both in the 
United States and abroad. 

For this latter service Mr. Charles H. Williams 
was chosen. His work for several years as Physical 
Director at Hampton Institute had not only brought 
him to the very front in his chosen field, but had also 
given him special insight into the temperament, the 
physical prowess, and the social outlook of Negro men. 
His special task moreover had not only the approval 
but also the co-operation of the Secretary of War and 
the Adjutant General of the Army of the United States, 
and in the course of his work he spent a total of eighteen 
months visiting every place where Negro soldiers were 
gathered, in both America and France. His endeavor 
was as painstaking as his mission was unique. 

Something of the result of this first-hand study will 
be found in the pages that follow. Mr. Williams, 
it will be observed, has not undertaken to write a history 
of Negro soldiers in the war. Instead he has given 
us ''Sidelights^' ; and I think the reader will agree 
with me that what is more unpretentious than a history 



12 INTRODUCTION 

is also of more interest than many a formal work, and 
valuable by reason of the authority with which the 
author speaks. Before one has finished reading he 
will probably be impressed with the fact that the work 
is indeed not only a consideration of the Negro soldier 
but also a vital contribution to the social history of the 
Negro people in America. It has been eagerly 
awaited by those who knew of the unusual opportunity 
for study that Mr. Williams had, and now that it is 
given to the people of the country I bespeak for it a 
generous welcome. 

BENfAMIN BRAWLEY. 
Cambridge, January i, 1923. 



CONTENTS 

I. The Call to the Colors 17 

II. In Camp 24 

III. The Negro Officer ...... 36 

IV. Hopes and Fears 68 

V. The Lure of the Uniform .... 78 

VI. The " Y " and Other Welfare Organizations 93 

VII. The Stevedore 138 

VIII. The Ninety-Second Division . . . .156 

IX. The Ninety-Third Division . . . -194 

X. Home-Fires 241 



13 



CREDENTIALS 

WAR DEPARTMENT 

Washington 

February nth, IQIQ. 
To : Officers Commanding Colored Units from 

Over Seas Service 
From : The Secretary of War. 
Subject : Interview. 

This will introduce to you Charles H. Williams, who desires to 
interview both colored officers and men who have seen over seas 
service. I desire that every -practical facility be afforded Mr. 
Williams in carrying out the work. 
Sincerely, 
[signed] NEWTON D. BAKER, 

Newton D. Baker, 
Secretary of War. 



WAR DEPARTMENT 

The Adjutant General's Office 
Washington 

March y, igi8. 
From : The Adjutant General of the Army. 

To : The Commanding Generals of all Army Camps and 
Cantonments. 

Subject : Social and Religious Conditions in Communities Adja- 
cent to Camps and Cantonments. 

This will introduce to you Mr. C. H. Williams, representing 
the Federal Council of Churches and the Phelps-Stokes Fund. 

14 



CREDENTIALS 15 

Mr. Williams has been appointed to observe social and religious 
conditions in communities adjacent to camps and cantonments 
where colored troops are stationed. 

The Secretary of War desires that every practicable facility 
be afforded to Mr. Williams in carrying on his work. 

[signed! H. p. McCAIN. 



GENERAL HEADQUARTERS 

American Expeditionary Forces 

Provost Marshal General's Office 

A. P. O. 706 

May 77, 1919. 
From : Provost Marshal General, A. E. F. 
To : Whom it May Concern. 
Subject : Special Travel Permit. 

1. Charles H. Williams, Associate Member, Army Educa- 
tional Commission, Y. M. C. A., holder of Red Worker^s 
Permit No. 321 j^, is authorized to travel in : 

(a) Any part of France except Alsace-Lorraine. 

(b) Any part of the ^rd Army Area. 

2. This permit, which is valid until July ly, IQIQ, will be re- 
turned, upon expiration, to the office of the Provost Marshal Gen- 
eral, A. P.O. 706. 

H. H. BANDHOLTZ, 
Provost Marshal General. 

[signed] JOHN W. noble, 
for 
By : JAMES T. LOREE, 

Executive Officer. 
[official seal] 



CHAPTER I 

THE CALL TO THE COLORS 

T ITTLE did the American Negro think, as he 
^^ struggled with his own problems in the early 
days of the World War, that he would be called 
upon to aid his fellowmen three thousand miles 
away. He looked with interest upon the conflict in 
Europe, his adventurous spirit was quickened by 
the accounts of heroism and sacrifice, and he could 
but marvel at German efficiency as he watched 
the great war machine crush its way through Belgium. 
As the German armies marched across the fields of 
France, however, leaving suffering and sorrow in 
their wake, the Negro found his sympathy going 
out to the French people ; and when it became evi- 
dent that America also would be drawn into the 
fighting, like the other citizens of the country he 
girded himself for the contest. 

When war was declared on April 6, 1917, the 
American army numbered 75,000 officers and men, 
only a nucleus for the stupendous task now on hand. 
As the country marshalled its forces the question 
arose in some sections as to the use of a tenth part 
of its man-power. Some alarmists feared that if 
the Negro were trained in the science of modern 
warfare, not only would there be industrial and agri- 

17 



i8 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

cultural stagnation, but, even more important, 
peaceful relations after the war would be difficult 
if not indeed impossible. It was true that black 
men had gone to the aid of France and England, not 
as black men but as Frenchmen and Englishmen, 
and their names had been written in gold at the 
Marne and at Verdun, in Mesopotamia and in 
Africa. They too had wielded the cold steel, faced 
gas and liquid fire, and passed into the jaws of death. 
America, however, it was felt by some, had her own 
special problems and difficulties, and it was debatable 
if she could adopt a similar policy. On the other 
hand, throughout the country orators and the press 
alike proclaimed the patriotism of the Negro and 
his willingness to shed his blood for the Stars and 
Stripes. The heroism and loyalty of the race were 
recounted from the Revolution to Carrizal ; what- 
ever else might be said, the Negro's hand had never 
been raised against the flag, nor had treason been 
found in his breast ; and when the call for American 
manhood came, it was for all men from twenty-one 
to thirty-one years of age, regardless of color. 

During this period there were those among the 
Negroes themselves who thought that at last the 
time had come to demand once for all the full rights 
of American citizens. A larger group, however, 
maintained that when the country was in danger 
the first duty of every citizen was to remove the 
danger and then to settle domestic problems. A 
program was adopted which resulted in the holding 
of great mass meetings throughout the country. 
The young men of the race were urged to enlist in 



THE CALL TO THE COLORS ' 19 

the army or navy, and this they did with enthusiasm. 
The rush to the colors was unprecedented. The 
American Negro Loyal Legion proposed to raise 
10,000 men in answer to the President's call for 
75,000 men. In sections where national guard units 
existed for colored men, these were the first to raise 
their units to war strength, as was demonstrated 
by the old 15th New York. Often in the registra- 
tion booths new records of enlistments were made, 
so much so that at one time the War Department 
issued orders to " take no more colored men." Boys 
in their teens and men beyond the draft age answered 
the call. Students left school or college to take up 
the knapsack and the gun. In the Southern states 
there was special eagerness to enlist, and in Florida 
there were petitions to the Governor for the privilege 
of raising " regiments of colored militia officered by 
men of the race." 

In some quarters it was said that Negroes would 
not register and that arrests would have to be made. 
Especially in country districts not reached by pub- 
licity campaigns there was not a thorough under- 
standing of the requirements. This fact resulted 
in the arrest of a few men as slackers, but investiga- 
tion showed that what seemed to be negligence was 
due to ignorance rather than to any definite intention 
to dodge the draft. Some who were beyond the age 
limits registered because they did not know their 
exact age, and some other older men believed that 
they would be sent to jail if they failed to appear. 

When soon after registration day reports were 
sent out from Washington that Negroes would be 



20 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

sent to the various camps, a vigorous protest was 
made in some Southern states against placing them 
in the local camps, the strongest objection coming 
from South Carolina, Elsewhere, however, the 
opposition did not appear so violent ; thus the 
Atlanta Constitution took the position that Negro 
soldiers should be trained in Camp Gordon along 
with other soldiers and felt that this could be done 
without friction. In Alabama there was an ex- 
pressed feeling against "strange Negroes in large 
numbers," and throughout the South it was believed 
that separate camps would be preferable. Objec- 
tions grew less and less, however, as reports of the 
Negro's enthusiasm for the draft came from all 
parts of the country. 

The Negro went to camp willingly and those who 
remained gave him up whole-heartedly, sending him 
away with feasting and speech-making, songs and 
cheers, as well as with prayers and tears. Not only 
his kinsmen, but white citizens as well, vied with one 
another in their endeavor to do him honor and make 
him proud that he was going to serve his country. 
Sometimes a governor would address the draftees, 
and, as was often the case, parades would be led by 
mayors, chiefs of police, and city councilmen. Often 
the stores would close in honor of those called to the 
colors, and in one case an entire town turned out to 
see its only colored draftee leave for service. At 
such times the Negro's patriotism reached its highest 
point. Not only those summoned but every Negro 
present was filled with intense emotion. Especially 
was this demonstrated when the colored contingent 



THE CALL TO THE COLORS 21 

from Thomas County, Ga., assembled prior to 
movement to Camp Gordon. One farmer who had 
not harvested his crop made a final appeal for respite. 
The exemption oiBcer called for a volunteer to take 
his place from the other men who were certified but 
not yet called. It is said that there was a stampede 
for the place. 

The selective draft was fair in its inception, in- 
cluding all citizens alike, but unfortunately it did 
not always operate impartially when Negroes were 
involved. In Fulton County, Ga., the draft board 
had to be ordered dismissed for "unwarranted exemp- 
tions and discharges." Out of 815 white men called 
by this board 526 were exempted, 44 per cent on 
physical grounds. At the same time 202 Negroes 
were called and only 6 exempted. The action of 
this board was by no means typical, but it illustrates 
what the Negro draftee sometimes had to contend 
with. In the determination of claims there ap- 
peared to be no discrimination, according to the 
report of the Provost Marshal, yet those called some- 
times told sad stories as they were being led away 
to camp. Sometimes it would be the story of a man 
with a wife and five children, with ages from seven 
years to six months, who had been changed from 
Class 4 to 1-A. Sometimes Negro men living on 
their own farms, with crops growing and livestock 
to be cared for, were sent away to camp, while single 
men working for large planters were put in Class 4. 
All told it appears that many Negroes who had 
sufiicient claim for exemption were drafted and sent 
away to camp. The figures taken from General 



22 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

Crowder's report show that of the 1,078,331 colored 
men who registered, 556,917, or 51.65 per cent, were 
placed in Class 1, while 521,414 were in the deferred 
class. Of the 9,562,515 white men who registered, 
3,110,659, or 32.53 per cent, were in Class 1, while 
6,451,856 were in deferred classes. The numbers 
selected for full military service were 342,247 colored 
men and 1,916,750 white, or 31.74 per cent and 26.84 
per cent respectively. The report further showed 
that 74.60 colored and 69.71 white out of every 100 
men called were physically able to serve the country. 
Such figures were a revelation. 

Various explanations were offered to account for 
this discrepancy. It was noted that voluntary en- 
listment was not open in the South to Negroes as to 
white men ; thus it was estimated that 650,000 
white men enlisted in this section and only 4000 
colored men. Moreover pleas or excuses for defer- 
ment were not so readily accepted in the case of 
Negroes. Some also were regarded as delinquents 
and brought to camp as such when they really did 
not belong in this class. Migration complicated 
the situation and cards notifying Negro draftees of 
their call were often delayed and occasionally not 
even sent to them. The result was that men who 
had no intention of wrongdoing were sometimes 
arrested and treated as deserters. For each such 
case the local officer received fifty dollars. This 
practice became so profitable that camp authorities 
found it necessary to intervene to protect the well- 
intentioned draftee whom circumstances had un- 
fortunately placed in the clutches of the law. If 



THE CALL TO THE COLORS 23 

everything is considered, the evidence is conclusive 
that the Negro's response to America's call in the 
World War will remain a lasting tribute to his pa- 
triotism. He furnished his quota cheerfully. " The 
doubts expressed of his Americanism were ill con- 
sidered and the fears concerning his loyalty were 
groundless." 

Many a Negro, as he left home and loved ones, 
for the first time thought of himself as a part of the 
Government and as sharing equally with every 
other citizen in the performance of his duty. Some 
had heard wonderful speeches about democracy and 
the brotherhood of all men, and each man cherished 
in his soul the idea of liberty. Each uttered a 
silent prayer that if he returned he might share 
more fully in the democracy for which he fought. 
One captain, about to set sail for France, expressed 
the hope in the heart of every Negro when he said : 
" I am leaving to-day a wife and three children. As 
great as the sacrifice is, I shall be satisfied never to 
see America again, if my wife and children will share 
greater opportunities and enjoy more liberty than I 
now enjoy " ; and not only the men but the women 
who saw them leave shared this point of view. 

Thus a loyal, kindly, and patient people went 
forth to do and to die, answering every call, and 
thinking first of their country and their great love 
for it in the hour of national peril. 



CHAPTER II 

IN CAMP 

►TpHE late Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the 
-*• Interior, said that two hundred thousand men 
out of the first two million composing the American 
army could neither write to their mothers and 
fathers nor read the letters written to them. Just 
how many Negro soldiers were illiterate will probably 
never be known, but it is certain that tens of thous- 
ands of them could not read or write. The per- 
centage of illiteracy was highest in the non-com- 
batant units, where education was not primarily 
essential and where the first requirement was that 
the men be physically fit to do the heavy work 
necessary. In such organizations it was not unusual 
to find that 75 per cent of the men were illiterate. 
At one time when an order was given a company 
that all men who could neither read nor write should 
step forward, practically the whole company ad- 
vanced. In a machine gun group of 167 men there 
were 127 illiterates ; in a class of seventeen of these 
men four had never heard of Abraham Lincoln, 
seven had never heard of Booker T. Washington, and 
none had ever heard of Frederick Douglass. Many 
soldiers had never heard of Germany, Servia, France, 
or Russia, or of kaisers and czars. Hundreds, born 

24 



IN CAMP 25 

and raised in the states from which they were called, 
did not know what city was their state capital. 
Birthdays were given to many, and sometimes even 
names were furnished. Thousands were away from 
the old plantations for the first time ; until called 
to register, some did not know that the Great War 
was raging. 

In striking contrast to these men was another 
group, those whom education and experience had 
fitted for the great undertaking. These were gradu- 
ates from representative institutions, they were 
trained in the various crafts, arts, and professions, 
and were neat in appearance, responsive, and fired 
with enthusiasm. Great numbers of those of whom 
we have been speaking, however, had never attended 
school a day in their lives. Naturally they had 
little or no knowledge of the laws of health. They 
did not always understand that clothes were to be 
changed at bedtime and sometimes punishment had 
to be meted out for failure to take the required 
number of baths per week. Guards frequently were 
on duty at night to see that barrack windows were 
not closed in the efi"ort to keep out the treacherous 
night air. 

The barracks at the different camps to which 
these men were sent were usually comfortably built. 
This was especially true in the national army can- 
tonments, where they were satisfactorily heated, 
lighted, and ventilated, with spacious mess halls, 
sanitary latrines, and adequate bathing facilities. 
Such provisions was not always found where tents 
had to be used, though the situation was improved 



26 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

when the tents were boxed and floored and had 
stoves and electric lights. It is regrettable that in 
the army, when there was a supply of old tents to be 
used, the Negro soldiers were generally the recipients. 
When camps were crowded and units had to be 
moved to less desirable quarters, most frequently 
it was the Negro units that were moved. In rainy 
seasons they suffered from exposure, and influenza 
made great inroads among them. 

The task of supplying the men with clothes was a 
stupendous one. Even honest attempts to get 
clothing for any group of men did not always meet 
with success, and for the Negro soldiers it was at 
times exceedingly difficult to secure what was neces- 
sary. When there was a shortage they were the 
ones to suffer. In Camp McClellan, Anniston, Ala., 
late in November they were found wearing little 
besides a fatigue suit because winter underwear, 
" O. D." suits, overcoats, and shoes had not yet 
arrived. When there were second hand, unmatched 
khaki suits and second hand hats, these passed 
to the Negroes. On one occasion at Camp Sevier, 
Greenville, S. C, such clothing arrived in boxes 
marked for the " current colored draft." At Camp 
Hill, Newport News, Va., where there were several 
thousand of the suits referred to as the " old Civil 
War blue," it was decided that the Negro soldiers 
should wear them. When one of the organizations 
thus clad marched through the camp it became the 
laughing-stock of the rest of the soldiers and the men 
were humiliated. In Camp Humphrey, Va., through 
which 40,000 Negro soldiers passed, not until after 



IN CAMP 27 

the Armistice and until the white soldiers were dis- 
charged did the Negro men have such conveniences 
as barracks, comfortable mess halls, and sanitary 
facilities ; and their " Y " tent was especially leaky. 
Such conditions in different places easily gave the 
Negro people the impression that their sons were 
being mistreated and were suffering in the camps, 
and this accounted for considerable unrest. In spite 
of the occasional lack of clothing, however, and 
poorly prepared food, those soldiers who survived 
the test were discharged from the army more fit 
physically than when they entered it, and thus the 
manhood of the country was made stronger and 
better. 

The modern American cantonments required the 
labor of hundreds of soldiers to keep them up to the 
requirements set by the inspectors. Negro soldiers 
who were stationed in all the camps did their full 
share of this work, and their special achievement is 
described in our chapter on the Stevedore. The 
ambition of every man in camp, however, was to be 
a real soldier, one who took up his knapsack and 
marched off to battle. " I don't want to stagger 
under heavy boxes," said one stevedore, " I want a 
gun on my shoulder and the opportunity to go to 
the front." Nearly three-fourths of all the Negro 
soldiers, however, were in non-combatant units. 
In these units very little military training was given. 
" Our drilling," said one soldier, " consisted in 
marching to and from work with hoes, shovels, and 
picks on our shoulders." In some of the more 
liberal camps the men got from thirty minutes to 



28 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

one hour of drill without guns after the day's work. 
Where there was an absence of genuine military 
training there was always a lack of soldierly spirit 
on the part of both officers and men. Where there 
was conscientious effort to train and instruct the men 
in military science, however, there was enthusiasm 
for the work. 

The Negro is able to adjust himself to the life of a 
soldier with comparative ease. His happy disposi- 
tion and responsiveness to sincere, efficient leader- 
ship, his regard for discipline and love for his uniform, 
his sense of rhythm and his physical courage, are 
distinct military assets. The fact than many officers 
preferred to command Negro troops was a splendid 
tribute to their ability. In one camp where there 
were eight commands with Negro soldiers, one hun- 
dred and fourteen officers applied for the posts. 
With the exception of the 92nd and 93 rd Divisions, 
Negro soldiers were almost entirely commanded by 
white officers. In combatant units, and even in 
non-combatant units where some military training 
was given, there were few complaints and the officers 
were proud of their men. 

In non-combatant organizations, on the other 
hand, some of the commanding officers were disap- 
pointed because they had not been placed with 
fighting units. They ielt detached and humiliated. 
While as the usual thing the corporals were colored, 
the sergeants were generally white men. Only in 
rare cases were the non-commissioned officers all 
white or all colored. Several reasons were given 
for placing white sergeants in these units. It was 



IN CAMP 29 

said that most of the Negroes forming such organiza- 
tions had little or no knowledge of military tactics 
and that experienced white men were needed to or- 
ganize them ; moreover, that white officers could 
get more work out of labor units than could Negro 
" non-coms." It was felt that these men, having 
come in contact with Negroes on plantations, public 
works, and turpentine farms, would be especially 
competent to handle them. Unfortunately these 
officers were often ignorant and when provoked 
would curse the men and call them abusive names. 
In rare cases they even went so far as to strike the 
men. There were also some examples of colored 
sergeants who belonged to the " treat 'em rough " 
group. On the other hand, there was a class of 
white non-commissioned officers from the Western 
and Northern states who, claiming no previous 
acquaintance with the Negro, managed by consid- 
erate handling to have excellent morale in their 
organizations. 

There were various rules in the camps concern- 
ing the issuing of passes. In a few camps Negroes 
were not required to get passes in order to leave, 
provided they returned by a certain hour at night. 
Most frequently, however, passes were issued, though 
with less frequency than to white soldiers. Some- 
times the Negroes were denied the privilege of visit- 
ing the cantonment cities for fear that trouble might 
arise. One very effective means of restriction was 
the establishing of a state of quarantine. 

Much was said during the war about throwing 
the arm of protection about the soldier lest evil 



30 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

should befall him. The Government desired him 
to return to his home a cleaner and a better man. In 
states where there were no prohibition laws the 
Government prohibited saloons within a radius of 
twenty-five miles from a camp. Federal and city 
officials worked to carry out the letter of the law, 
but their task was exceedingly difficult. While no 
open saloons existed in cantonment cities, there was 
evidence of almost free access to some kind of in- 
toxicating liquor. Bootleggers sold their wares for 
from six to sixteen dollars a quart, and numerous 
resorts were close at hand. Fortunately, while 
there were cases in which individual soldiers were 
arrested for drunkenness, the vigilance of the authori- 
ties prevented the problem from becoming serious 
in cantonment cities. 

In the army it was not generally felt that gambling 
or swearing affected the fighting ability of the soldier. 
As a result of this attitude little was done to influ- 
ence the men in regard to these evils. Officers oc- 
casionally prohibited gambling in their commands, 
but generally it flourished. Y. M. C. A. secretaries 
sometimes called the sergeants together and insti- 
tuted campaigns against gambling, and these did 
some good, but as long as camp officials were tolerant, 
little could be accomplished. " Shooting craps " 
was a popular form of recreation, and some officers 
encouraged this as long as it was played in the open. 
Great crowds of men would gather in camp streets 
or barracks and " roll " their last dime away. With 
other things affecting the moral welfare of the men 
we shall deal in a later chapter. 



IN CAMP 31 

One of the strong objections to placing white and 
colored soldiers in the same camps was that there 
would be race conflicts. This proved not to be the 
case, and with few exceptions the relations between 
the races in every camp were good. Where the 
exceptions did occur, they were due to the policies 
of officials rather than to the Inclinations of the men 
themselves. The fact that the war was a common 
cause made most soldiers tolerant of the "other 
fellow," in spite of their prejudices. Even in sec- 
tions where the idea of separation prevailed white 
and Negro soldiers often used the same building, 
played games together, and attended the same pic- 
ture shows and entertainments. Occasionally they 
played in the same shows and orchestras ; they fre- 
quently wrote letters for one another, and had many 
other points of agreeable contact. Sometimes, If 
they were from the same city or town and met in 
camps miles away from home, they acted like 
brothers. One day two such lads from a town in 
Louisiana met at Camp Pike, and their joy at meet- 
ing was noticeable to all. Grasping each other's 
arm, they walked away from the crowd and sat 
down on a nearby hillside, where they spent the 
happiest hour they had experienced in camp. This 
friendly attitude, which made for harmony, was 
occasionally looked upon with disfavor by the officers 
and even by " Y " secretaries, and measures Intended 
to prevent such contact sometimes engendered bit- 
terness and frequently caused friction. 

Captain C. Rowan, stationed at Camp Pike, Little 
Rock, Ark., received wide publicity when, on March 



32 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

25, 1918, he disobeyed the order of his brigade com- 
mander, CoL F. B. Snow, of the 162nd Depot Brigade. 
This order called for a review in which Negroes and 
white soldiers were to appear in the same formation. 
Captain Rowan said that the order called for a forma- 
tion in which there would be intermingling of the 
races, that custom would be violated, and that the 
discipline and self-respect of the white soldiers would 
be affected. He himself, he said, had no prejudice 
and was willing to command a Negro organization, 
but he had taken his course of action because he felt 
that it was for the good of the service. He was dis- 
missed from the service, but during the trial a dele- 
gation from a Southern legislature visited the camp 
to see if the races were intermingling, and both white 
and Negro soldiers, who had temporarily laid aside 
race hatred, had it kindled anew within them. 

Just as there were camps where military authority 
was used to carry out unjust orders, there were also 
camps where harmony prevailed because command- 
ing officers believed in fair play. On one occasion 
a Texas regiment arrived at Camp Upton, N. Y. 
On their first night in camp a group of the soldiers 
went into a Y. M. C. A. building and saw two Negro 
men sitting there writing. Being unaccustomed to 
such scenes, the group threw them out of the window. 
The camp " Y " secretary reported the matter to the 
late General Bell, who said he would investigate the 
case. There were four thousand Negro soldiers in 
camp, and as the day passed there were rumors of 
an impending clash, and there was some anxiety on 
the part of the authorities. Late in the afternoon 



IN CAMP 33 

the General called all the officers of the Texas regi- 
ment to headquarters and after they had been intro- 
duced he said : " Gentlemen, I am the General of 
this camp. Something happened here last night 
that has never happened before, nor will it ever 
happen again. If there is any trouble here you will 
be held responsible. Your men started the affair. 
If there is trouble every one of you will be disgraced 
and put in the guard house for the duration of the 
war. You won't be tried by a Texas jury. I shall 
be both judge and jury. Secretary Baker and the 
Chief of Staff, General March, have said that every 
man in the uniform is the equal of every other man. 
They are my superiors and I am yours. I am 
soldier enough to obey orders, and you must do like- 
wise." The Colonel said, " Yes, sir, I understand," 
and the officers left the headquarters no man uttering 
a word. After they reached their quarters they 
called their regiment together, and peace and order 
prevailed afterwards in that camp. 

There were many lesser deeds of this kind which 
gave hope and encouragement to Negro soldiers as 
they served the country, and it was clearly demon- 
strated that colored and white soldiers could live, 
work, drill, and play together without friction or 
riots, if only the square deal was meted to all alike. 
Naturally the opportunity of serving together in a 
great cause and of coming to know a little better 
Americans of all groups was responsible for a greater 
spirit of tolerance on the part of many thousands of 
men. A young lieutenant, born and raised in South 
Carolina and graduated from the University of 



34 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

Georgia, said that he really hated Negroes before he 
was assigned to the branch of Negro artillery located 
at Camp Jackson. He was brought up on a planta- 
tion and expected to see in his battery much lying, 
stealing, and gambling. When he realized that the 
men who had been selected for his branch of the 
service were physically and educationally fit and 
that their conduct was excellent, he frankly said that 
his ideas had changed. 

Of special importance was the Negro's contribution 
to the joys of camp life by his religion and song. 
His religion gave him courage that enabled him to go 
forward when the path was dark, and his song not 
only made his own burdens lighter but enabled him 
to bring ch^er and sunshine to thousands of dis- 
couraged soldiers. A Negro who on the parade 
ground tried to master a drill or who went through 
a savage bayonet exercise, at night frequently for- 
got completely his daily work as he sang " Ain't 
goin' to study war no more." From early morning 
until taps sounded at night, moreover, one could 
hear the strains of music in the " Y " hut. It might 
be anything from a " blues " played on the piano 
with one finger to some classic theme. Sometimes 
a soldier would begin playing a familiar song on the 
piano and the strain would be taken up until all who 
were present were singing. On one Sunday three 
thousand Negroes from Florida who had just arrived 
at Camp Devens, Mass., held a meeting. A quartet 
and a soloist rendered several numbers. Then one 
man who had a beautiful baritone voice led the three 
thousand men as they sang " I need thee every 



IN CAMP 35 

hour." Most of the men were from farms and away 
from their loved ones for the first time in their lives 
■ — strangers in a strange land. As their thoughts were 
far away the leader began the refrain of " S'wanee 
River," and as they sang of the " old folks at home " 
the music rose until the very rafters shook. Tears 
were in the eyes of stalwart men that Sunday after- 
noon, and there was a warmth and a harmony about 
it that was unlike anything in the world. 

With all the hardships the experience gained in 
camp more than repaid the thousands of Negro 
soldiers, who had come from all classes and included 
the country lad, who had been denied educational 
advantages, as well as the college youth. The prog- 
ress of many men from day to day was an inspiration. 
Thousands who on entering camp had a shambling 
gait soon displayed a firm step and erect carriage. 
The blank expression seen on many faces gave way 
to one of animation and enthusiasm, not only for 
the training but also for the victory of the cause in 
which they were enlisted. The crudest material, 
under efficient guidance, developed into the capable 
soldier, all because these men, like thousands of 
others, in France as well as in America, were giving 
their very lives to the country to which all owed so 
much. 



CHAPTER III 

THE NEGRO OFFICER 

^T^HE Plattsburgh idea of military training was 
■*• inaugurated in 1915, when Maj. Gen. Leonard 
Wood organized a special training camp for civil- 
ians. The purpose of the camp was to offer four 
weeks of intensive training under the direct super- 
vision of officers of the United States Army, and it 
was intended that this should be of such thoroughness 
that the men receiving it would be able to serve as 
officers in an emergency, as was afterwards done by a 
large number of Plattsburg men who served under 
General Pershing in the course of the trouble with 
Mexico. 

Colored men were not given an opportunity to 
attend the Plattsburg camps. There was, conse- 
quently, no way in which any considerable number 
of them could secure the training necessary to enable 
them, in an emergency, to serve as officers. In 
order to meet this exigency, many Negroes and their 
friends endeavored to secure the establishment of a 
training camp for colored officers, although at first 
the idea of a separate camp was not popular. In the 
winter of 1917, however, Major General Wood 
agreed to organize the camp if two hundred colored 
men would signify their intention of attending ; and 

36 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 37 

in this period of uncertainty and anxiety, friends of 
the movement started a campaign with the hope 
of creating sufficient interest to warrant the estab- 
lishment of the camp. 

Dr. Joel E. Spingarn, one of the principal officers 
of the National Association for the Advancement of 
Colored People and a true friend of the Negro, who 
was the strongest advocate of the training camp, in 
May, 1917, sent out a circular letter calling for 
colored men to enter the volunteer service of the 
United States Army in order that the number of 
men necessary for the establishment of the camp 
might be secured. There was strong protest on the 
part of the Negro press and of many individuals 
against a " segregated camp," the criticisms coming 
from all parts of the country. Dr. Spingarn, in 
reply, gave among other reasons for the establish- 
ment of the camp the following : " The army officials 
want the camp to fail. The last thing they want is to 
help colored men to become commissioned officers. 
The camp is intended to fight segregation, not to 
encourage it. Colored men in a camp by themselves 
would all get a fair chance for promotion. Opposi- 
tion on the part of Negroes is helping the South, 
which does not want the Negroes to have any kind 
of military training. If there is a war, there will 
doubtless be conscription of all able-bodied men. 
The choice will be no longer between volunteering 
or not volunteering, but between conscription and 
rebellion. If conscription comes, will the leaders 
of the race help their Southern enemies by preaching 
treason and rebellion, or will they face facts right 



38 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

now and prepare themselves to go as leaders and 
not as privates ? " As the notes passed between 
the American and German Governments, people 
more and more realized that the trend of events 
would inevitably lead to war ; this realization gave 
impetus to the movement, and finally a concerted 
effort was made to secure the training camp, even 
the opponents of the separate camp idea becoming 
its supporters. 

With the actual declaration of war with Germany 
came the imperative need of this opportunity for 
Negroes to train as officers, as it was certain that 
thousands would be called to the colors. Con- 
ferences were held with the War Department officials, 
and Dr. Spingarn meanwhile worked untiringly. 
Dr. Stephen M. Newman, president of Howard 
University, Washington, D. C., together with a 
joint committee of teachers and students and a 
citizens' committee composed of representative Ne- 
groes of Washington, also held conferences with 
officials and labored in behalf of the camp. 

There was misgiving on the part of many con- 
cerning the training of Negroes as officers. Among 
the objections made to the establishment of the 
camp was that " a separate camp could not be es- 
tablished because all garrisons and forts were re- 
quired for white men " ; and it was further said that 
" Negroes could not make officers, and if trained, 
Negro soldiers would not follow them." Many 
army men did not believe that the camp would be 
a success because they did not feel that the Negro 
had the ability to do the required work ; and Presi- 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 39 

dent Newman was even asked by department officials 
if he honestly felt that colored people had the in- 
telligence and the grit to undergo such training as 
was given in the preparation camps and come out as 
capable officers. 

When the War Department was finally convinced 
that colored men should at least have the oppor- 
tunity to attend an officers' training camp, and all 
arrangements were made, news of the authorization 
of the same was sent broadcast over the country ; 
and few announcements have ever been made that 
were received with more enthusiasm than the special 
dispatch which was sent out from Washington on 
May 19, 1917, by Adjutant General H. P. McCain 
to the chiefs of staff of the various departments of 
the army : 

" Training camps for colored citizens will be established 
at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, under section 4, National De- 
fense Act, and regulations prescribed for present training 
camps, except as modified herein and after. Total attend- 
ance 1250, of whom 250 will be non-commissioned officers, 
colored regiments, regular army, to be sent on detached 
service status, and 1000 citizens, either enlisted under 
section 4, National Defense Act, for three months, begin- 
ning June 18, with agreement to accept appointment 
tendered, or Members of National Guard, whose status 
will be as in case of National Guardsmen now in training 
camps. Secure . . . co-operation of colored citizens of 
wide acquaintance and high standing. Training camps 
will be ready to receive non-commissioned officers, regular 
army, June 5, and all others June 15. Course begins June 
18." 

Newspapers throughout the country commented 



40 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

on the fact that at last Negroes would have a real 
opportunity to serve not only as privates but as 
officers. Southern papers, while opposed on general 
principles to military training for Negroes, spoke 
favorably of the plan, always making clear, however, 
that Southern traditions must be upheld ; thus the 
Charleston Post said, " Officers as high as majors 
may be turned out, but will positively be used to 
command only Negroes." But as circumstances 
each day forced our countrymen to change some 
sacred, traditional idea, and as the seemingly im- 
possible came into being, as it were, overnight, then 
the white citizens of each Southern state were proud 
that it had its quota of Negroes " with a college 
training or its equivalent " to send ; and many 
Southern men gladly gave letters of endorsement to 
representative Negroes who were setting forth upon 
their great mission. Then in each of the six de- 
partments into which the United States is divided 
by the War Department, Negroes presented them- 
selves for examination. Many traveled hundreds 
of miles to be present on the appointed day. Some 
men, in their eagerness to serve, appeared before the 
recruiting officers possessing the physical and age 
qualifications, but lacking other preparation ; and 
sometimes friends, in their desire to reward loyal 
service, sent butlers and other helpers for examina- 
tion, only to have them disappointed. When it be- 
came evident that Negroes would be called in large 
numbers, as the training of officers indicated, many 
objections were made throughout the country to 
having Negro soldiers stationed in certain camps. 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 41 

In an interview Col. H. T. Ferguson especially as- 
sured the anxious citizens of Des Moines that they 
would never regret the fact that their city had been 
designated for the training of the first contingent of 
Negro officers ever commissioned by the United 
States. 

As June 15 approached and officer candidates were 
notified of their acceptance, colored America felt 
as never before that it was entering upon a new era 
and into the larger citizenship to which it had always 
aspired. Joy reigned among the army sergeants at 
the thought not only of trying for commissions them- 
selves, but also of helping others of their race to do 
likewise ; and the civilians went forth with the 
knowledge that all eyes were on them and that the 
prayers and hopes of a race went with them. No 
knight ever started on a nobler quest than did these 
Negro men from all walks of life, and the crowds 
that went to the stations to bid them good-by and 
that watched the trains until they were out of sight 
went home with a new feeling of confidence and of 
hope. 

On the arrival of the candidates at Des Moines, 
civilian customs, thoughts, and habits soon gave 
way for the iron discipline involved in making officers. 
Men who had thought of the camp as the place for 
a summer vacation soon were undeceived. Colonel 
C. C. Ballou and his staff of officers put them through 
a daily program beginning at 5.30 a. m. with reveille 
and flag-raising and ending with taps at 9.45 p. m. 
From 7.30 to 8.30 a. m. there was infantry drill with- 
out arms, from 8.30 to 9 manual of physical training, 



42 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

from 9.15 to 10.15 infantry drill, from 10.45 to 11.45 
a practice hike without arms ; then dinner ; from 
1.30 to 2.30 p. m. musketry arms, from 2.30 to 3 
semaphore signaling, from 3 to 4.30 conferences on 
care of equipment, and from 7 to 8 evening study 
on the organization of the regiment. As progress 
was made other work was taken up, including bayonet 
drill, trench digging, manoeuvering, map-making and 
target practice, and lectures were also given showing 
the relation of the camp to the great national army. 
It was fully realized that success or failure in the 
crucial test carried with it far-reaching results. 
Colonel Ballou, in speaking to the men on one oc- 
casion, said : " This is a momentous hour, and the 
establishment of this camp is an epochal and un- 
precedented event in the history of the colored race. 
Your race will be on trial with you as its represen- 
tatives, during the existence of this camp, and to 
succeed there will be required of you strong bodies, 
keen intelligence, absolute obedience to orders, un- 
flagging industry, exemplary conduct, and char- 
acter of the highest order." With such incentive 
the men worked away at the most strenuous business 
in which they were ever engaged. And yet there 
were some good times — recreation in the form of 
baseball and other athletic contests and the privilege 
of visiting in the city of Des Moines on Saturday 
and Sunday. The Y. M. C. A. furnished motion 
pictures and programs on Saturday and Sunday 
evenings, and through its efforts some of the leading 
speakers of the country appeared. Of special in- 
spiration in this connection was the presence in camp 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 43 

of one of the secretaries, the " grand old man," Dr. 
George W. Cabiniss, who gave up a lucrative practice 
in Washington to be with the " boys," and who spent 
himself unstintingly in their behalf. 

Soldiers were often invited to the churches as well 
as the homes in the city, and here they occasionally 
rendered musical programs. By this means the 
anxiety of the earlier days of the summer gave way 
to an interest and friendship between the citizens 
and the candidates that will live for decades. The 
first event which won general esteem for the officer 
candidates was an exhibition drill in the Drake Uni- 
versity stadium, which was followed by musical 
numbers. Here ten thousand people gathered and 
marveled at what their eyes beheld. The last big 
event was the program given at White Sparrows, 
where hundreds of people were turned away. Here 
the men sang the old plantation melodies with the 
sweetness and plaintiveness possible only to the 
Negro, and arias and recitatives from the great 
oratorios as well. The audience stood in eagerness 
until the last note was sung ; then as a tribute, at the 
close of the concert, Rev. Dr. Medbury said of the 
candidates, " It is not enough to say that by their 
demeanor while among us, their conduct on the 
streets, in the theatres and business houses, they 
have brought honor to their race ; they are, rather, 
an honor to the race of men." 

Thus the spirit of the men themselves was the 
biggest factor in the success of Fort Des Moines. 
They began their training knowing that there were 
questions in the minds of many, and they spent hours 



44 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

of toil in the effort to prove that they could make 
good. The attitude of each one was to help some- 
body else. One man might be seen explaining to a 
comrade some problem in mathematics, another help- 
ing in the study of topography, and still another with 
some squad trying to perfect it in the handling of 
arms. A precious jewel is not more carefully 
guarded than was the good name of the camp. Like 
a sentinel on duty each candidate watched lest some 
untoward act might work harm. One day an apple 
orchard belonging to a neighboring farmer was in- 
vaded. The farmer notified Colonel Ballou that 
some of the soldiers had stolen his apples. When 
the men concerned found that the camp was ac- 
cused, on their own initiative they reported to head- 
quarters and offered to pay all damages. The com- 
manding officer, in commenting on the incident, said, 
" Something has happened to-day that has made me 
feel fine and that is new in my army experience." 

The candidates were proud of their martial bearing. 
Their cleanliness made a favorable impression every- 
where they went. Soon after they went to Des 
Moines some of the cafe and restaurant owners 
thought it unwise to serve them, and when a number 
of^the men entered a chop suey " palace," the 
Chinese proprietor rushed up to them waving his 
arms wildly and shouting, " No servee black men ; 
me lose all bliziness." When some other proprietors 
showed a disposition to act with similar policy. 
Colonel George W. Ball of the 1st Iowa Infantry 
ordered that all men, regardless of color, must be 
fed, saying, " This is Government business and there 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 45 

can be no refusal to serve these men " ; and drastic 
action was threatened against all restaurant keepers 
who persisted in drawing the color line. Naturally 
Utopian conditions did not always prevail at the 
camp and there were many disappointments. Many 
an ambitious " rookie " was sent home because of 
some defect or peculiarity that prevented his making 
an officer, and even after some had served the allotted 
time it was found that they were not suitable ma- 
terial. In the process of elimination there were 
those who thought that they were unjustly marked, 
and it is true that at Des Moines only five civilian 
captains were made and that there the outcome was 
just the reverse of that in the training camps for 
white men, which was that the men with the superior 
training most frequently received the higher com- 
missions. Because of the policy followed one colonel 
said that " A great harm was done not only the 
colored officer but the colored race as well," for In 
many cases the standard for officers was lowered by 
the commissioning as captains of men with a sixth or 
eighth grade education and as second lieutenants 
many college graduates. Through it all, however, 
there was hope, because the candidates believed in 
themselves and others believed in them, chief among 
whom was Secretary Baker, who said in one of the 
darkest hours, " I am depending on you and the 
Fort Des Moines colored officers' training school. 
It should not be surpassed by any of the other camps 
which are training officers, and the promotions are 
not to be limited to lieutenants and captains, but 
to what you are capable of making." 



46 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

As the end of the training period drew near an 
extra month was added. This action raised doubts, 
not only In the minds of the candidates but with the 
colored people throughout the country. It was 
a trying season everywhere, for the extension of time 
came close upon the riots at Houston. A general 
from the War Department came to the camp and 
spoke in a most discouraging manner of the future 
of the candidates. He questioned the advisability 
of continuing the camp and raised doubts as to 
whether the candidates would ever be commissioned. 
A few days after his visit it was announced that all 
who wanted to leave might do so. Some of the more 
faint-hearted left, .but most of the men continued 
their studies and gained further knowledge of the 
essentials of warfare. Gradually the clouds cleared 
away and those who remained looked forward to 
the time when they would be real officers In the Army 
of the United States. 

Then came the day of days, October 15, 1917, 
when 625 colored men were commissioned in the 
United States Army. As they came forward to 
receive their commissions they were deeply moved, 
and even the commanding officer showed visible signs 
of emotion as he gave to them words of farewell and 
mpressed upon them the seriousness of the task 
before them. Dr. Emmett J. Scott, Special As- 
sistant to the Secretary of War, said to them : " I 
know you will bear In mind that in a very real sense 
you and those who serve with you have in your 
keeping the good name of a proud, expectant, and 
confident people " ; and each man went away with 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 47 

the feeling of responsibility that comes when life is 
dedicated to a great cause. Thus a new chapter 
was begun in the history of the Negro on this conti- 
nent and the first skirmish to prove that Negro men 
could absorb the training required of officers was won 
with honors. 

After a brief vacation of fifteen days, the new 
officers reported to the various camps and were 
assigned to their duties. While they had success- 
fully completed the course of study at Fort Des 
Moines, the real test of making officers was still 
before them. This task was made more difficult by 
the assignments to duty which some of them re- 
ceived. Some were sent to the artillery and engineer- 
ing corps and given tasks for which they had had no 
preparation. Having already absorbed army disci- 
pline, however, they went about their tasks with the 
hope of mastering them, though with opinion against 
them. 

The organization of the 92nd Division, composed 
entirely of Negroes drafted into the National Army, 
made it necessary to train officers and men in other 
branches than infantry and cavalry, with which 
Negroes had formerly served and for which they had 
been trained. Therefore engineer, artillery, and 
machine gun regiments were formed along with the 
other branches required in the full organization of a 
division. While divisions were usually trained in 
one camp, the regiments of the 92nd were distributed 
in several groups. 

The engineers were trained at Camp Sherman. 



48 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

Draftees with a knowledge of the building trades 
were especially desirable for this branch of service, 
and volunteers from well known industrial schools 
entered this regiment. Colored infantry officers 
from Des Moines, captains and lieutenants, who were 
without training in engineering, were put in com- 
mand. After seven months of training prior to their 
embarkation for France, the captains were sent to 
infantry outfits, being relieved by white engineer 
officers. This action on the part of the War De- 
partment aifected somewhat the morale of the regi- 
ment. After nearly three months in France the 
colored lieutenants were also transferred. There re- 
mained, however, five colored officers with the outfit 
— two tram officers, two physicians, and a dentist. 
When these also were not retained they and the 
soldiers felt that there was discrimination. It is 
true that they were not trained as engineers, but the 
ultimate trouble would seem rather to lie in with- 
holding engineer training from them while they were 
in the officers' training school in Des Moines. 

Negro soldiers had long been distinguished in the 
infantry and cavalry, but they had never been placed 
in the artillery branch of service. It was said that 
they could not learn the principles of artillery war- 
fare, and, as for their being officers, it was doubtful 
if they could measure up to the requirements. 
Nevertheless at Camp Dix the 349th and 350th 
artillery regiments were formed with colored men, 
and officers who had graduated at Des Moines were 
put in command. Since it had been said that Negro 
men could not be trained as artillerymen, it is inter- 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 49 

esting that it should be thought that they could 
make artillery officers without any training at all. 
A week before the recruits appeared at the camp, 
some classes in artillery subjects were held for the 
officers, and during the training of the regiment the 
officers were many times taught subjects just the 
night before they were to teach them to the men, 
school being held from one to two hours. Even 
under these conditions a surprisingly efficient organ- 
zation was developed. After nearly seven months, 
however, the colored artillery officers were declared 
inefficient. It was then decided that they would 
have to go to the artillery school at Fort Sill, Okla. 
Twenty-four men were sent, these being largely 
regular army men. Many of the well educated in- 
fantry officers from other regiments applied for the 
artillery work, but it was claimed that they could not 
be spared from their organizations, and in some 
cases officers with low rating were sent to Fort Sill 
against their desires. Is it surprising that many of 
these failed to pass the entrance examination and 
that about half of them asked to be returned to Camp 
Dix after the first week f 

While the artillery school at Fort Sill gave the 
men every chance, after the first two weeks the camp 
began returning the colored officers to their outfits, 
until at the end of ten weeks only six remained. 
These six were given artillery commissions. During 
their training period they had separate barracks 
and a separate mess, though the camp commander, 
Colonel Fleming, demanded that they receive the 
courtesy due officers. 



so SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

Soon after these graduates returned to Camp Dix, 
all the colored officers were ordered to Camp Meade 
to attend an artillery school. On their arrival at 
Meade, orders were issued that they put on enlisted 
men's clothes. The impression among the white 
officers of the 351st Artillery, said to be due to verbal 
orders, was that senior colored officers would first 
salute junior white officers and that, as far as white 
officers were concerned, the colored officers were 
considered officer candidates. They could wear 
their uniforms on Sunday, if passes were given them 
to leave the camp. The War Department was 
notified of conditions in the school and in four days 
the men were again returned to their outfit just before 
it sailed for France. 

White officers in the 349th and 350th who had 
commanded the colored officers, formed a board to 
examine them. All were declared inefficient, even 
the six graduates from Fort Sill, and were assigned 
to the Depot Brigade. The War Department again 
intervened, and the six graduates were ordered with 
their outfits again, and accompanied them to France. 
While the remaining officers did not accompany 
their regiments to France, they had done some fine 
work in teaching the men the use of horses and in 
putting snap in the drill and in the handling of the 
guns. The record made by these regiments, which 
continued their training in France, was more than 
surprising. Accounts of their work will be given 
elsewhere. 

The experience of these officers in attempting to do 
artillery work without training resulted in many 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 51 

charges and counter-charges with reference to their 
fitness for this branch of service. Through the 
office of the Assistant to the Secretary of War con- 
ferences were held with department officials In the 
endeavor to secure for Negro men an opportunity 
to train as officers. While there was opposition to 
the undertaking, the plan was finally approved and 
an honest attempt was made to select Negro men 
fitted, because of their training, to do work in ar- 
tillery schools. Ninety-six were gathered at Camp 
Meade, some having been selected from the Signal 
Corps Engineers and artillery regiments and some 
from the camps where infantry regiments of the 92nd 
Division were stationed. These men remained at 
Meade for a month, with two white batteries, after 
which time they were sent to Camp Taylor, Ky., 
where all artillery schools were centralized. The 
colored candidates were not expected when they 
reached the school and no arrangements had been 
made for them. The first night they spent on the 
outskirts of the camp, and before they finally got 
settled they were moved six times, always after 
spending enough time in one place to get floors 
scrubbed, windows washed, and barracks thoroughly 
cleaned. The commander of the school spoke to the 
battery and gave the impression that it was not 
wanted. Between the batteries, however, the re- 
lationship was good ; the Western men were con- 
siderate in sharing their knowledge with the colored 
candidates, who made an excellent impression by 
their " pep " and snap in drilling and by the aptitude 
for artillery work which they showed. Those candi- 



52 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

dates who remained in the school until the end were 
recommended for firing battery, combat trains, and 
replacement draft, but at the last the camp com- 
mander decided that only those men recommended 
for firing batteries should receive commissions. 
Thirty-three of the ninety-six men who started out 
were graduated. Of the twenty-five hundred grad- 
uates of the school, ten were honor men, and six of 
these were colored. Eleven more colored men were 
graduated in October. The five students in each 
battery who were highest at graduation were called 
out and given diplomas. As the five Negro men 
came forward, the white candidates led in the cheer- 
ing. After the first graduation, of those men who 
remained, ten to fifteen were dropped weekly. The 
last twelve were transferred to the 814th Pioneer 
Infantry as sergeants, and accompanied that organi- 
zation to England and France. After much dis- 
cussion in the War Department, and effort on the 
part of the Special Assistant to the Secretary of War, 
concessions were finally made and the thirty-three 
artillery officers were sent to Camp Jackson, S. C, 
where Negro men were being trained as artillerymen. 
Here there was great interest in them, especially 
on the part of the Negro population of Columbia. 
These people stood in admiring groups as the officers 
passed and sometimes gave vent to their emotions 
by clapping or cheering. Trouble arose, however, 
chiefly over the matter of salutes from the other 
soldiers ; riots were feared ; and after a week these 
officers were sent to Newport News, and then on to 
France. 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 53 

To the aviation school at Fort Sill four colored 
officers were sent. The first to arrive was supposed 
to be white and was treated accordingly. In the 
case of the other three, however, who arrived a few 
days later, there could be no mistake as to identity. 
These men were given a separate table and placed 
in a separate class, with a sergeant instructor who 
observed no military courtesies. Such treatment 
continued until the men asked to be returned to their 
outfit. Because he was constantly seen in the 
company of the other three men, the officer who was 
the first to arrive had been asked to move to their 
table. After the others left, he continued the course, 
remaining in camp until two days before graduation. 
To Fort Sill were also sent those officers who were 
to receive instruction in the use of the machine gun. 
It developed that the man in the class who was most 
efficient was a Negro. At the end of the course there 
was squad competition in the mechanical manipula- 
tion of a machine gun, and the best of each squad 
was chosen. Some men objected to being repre- 
sented by a Negro, but a major intervened and said, 

" I don't give a if the man is black ; everybody 

knows he is the best." All who watched the com- 
petition marveled at the speed with which this man 
worked. 

While these new officers were working at their 
task of training men to fight, it became certain that 
replacements would have to be made after they were 
in action at the front. Plans were not made on a 
scale comparable with the demand, but there was 
some effort to meet the need. A small number of 



54 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

men were selected from the various units of the 
92nd Division and sent to the third officers' training 
schools held in such camps as Upton, Meade, Sherman, 
Dodge, Funston, and Travis. Among the thou- 
sands who were receiving training they were almost 
lost, but sometimes they won the highest honors. 
In all these camps, except at Funston, they attended 
the same schools as the other candidates and received 
the treatment due them. Some were assigned to 
the 92nd Division and sailed to France with it, while 
others were detained to assist as instructors in the 
cantonments. 

When the fighting units reached France and were 
receiving final training before moving up to the 
front-line trenches, many of the officers attended 
various schools. The majority of such men com- 
pleted the courses with high standing. One of the 
schools that proved a distinct success was a machine 
gun school conducted by colored officers in charge 
of Lieut. B. A. Mosley, who made out the courses 
of study. The object was to make machine gun 
officers out of infantry officers, giving them the 
principles of machine gunnery. Nearly two hundred 
officers and non-commissioned officers were sent 
from this school, which was approved by the First 
Corps and put on the standard of the A. E. F. schools. 
Under date August 27, 1918, Major John P. Bubb 
said of one of these schools : " In submitting reports 
of proficiency of captains of the 92nd Division who 
have recently been under my instruction, I request 
attention to the following facts. Certain captains, 
namely, Jones, Saunders, Scott, Stephens, Holland, 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 55 

Hollingsworth, and Granson, have done very well 
in their work. They are serious, dignified men of 
excellent caliber and are fully able to maintain the 
positions of trust and confidence in which they have 
been placed. . . . The balance of the class (all 
captains) are I believe as good as the average student 
who has passed through the school." 

In the fourth officers' school, opened on May 15, 
1918, at Camp Dodge, there were 280 Negro candi- 
dates, which number was soon increased to more 
than 300. These candidates were selected prin- 
cipally from the units of the 92nd Division, though 
some came from elsewhere. This school began under 
the command of Lt. Col. William G. Doane, who was 
assisted by ten colored men, with Captain M. T. 
Dean as senior instructor. For the first time in 
America, Negro officers in large numbers were in- 
structing soldiers in the science of modern warfare, 
preparing them directly to take their places as officers 
in the great National Army. These men served for 
fifteen days, when a telegram was sent from the 
headquarters of the 92nd calling all the officers to 
their regiment. Their work, however, had proved 
a success. The candidates were all picked men, the 
school was well organized, and the officers showed 
the greatest confidence and faith in each other. 

In the centralization of the officers' training schools 
the infantry candidates were sent to Camp Pike, 
Little Rock, Ark., while the machine gun candidates 
were sent to Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga. Camp 
Pike had been spoken of in such a way by many 
Negro soldiers that the officer candidates were not 



S6 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

enthusiastic about going there, and certainly this 
was true of the twenty-four second lieutenants who 
were assigned as assistant instructors. Truck drivers 
sent to meet them, on finding that they were colored, 
drove off, claiming that no provision had been made 
for Negroes. In the camp they were a source of 
wonderment. The instructors were white Southern 
officers and neither officers nor men were cordial. 
As time passed, however, prejudice in niost cases 
turned to interest. 

To Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga., selected for the 
machine gun school, fifty-six Negro men were sent. 
Forty-three of that number were graduated as second 
lieutenants. These men had been selected from 
various outfits in the 92nd because of the knowledge 
of mathematics and of the mechanical manipulation 
of the machine gun which they had acquired in the 
various camp schools. The presence of a number of 
Negro officers in Augusta created a new situation, 
but both camp and city rose to the occasion. The 
commander decreed that every officer in the camp 
must receive the courtesy due him, and the leading 
paper of Augusta carried editorials that had a whole- 
some effect on public opinion. It happened that 
the thirteenth and last company in the school was col- 
ored. In the drills and in marching to the range, 
these men were last according to their number ; 
but in marching in reverse order, as they did in re- 
turning from the range, they became the leaders. 
Some white candidates are said to have lost their 
commissions rather than drill behind this company. 
Most of the men, however, cooperated with the 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 57 

candidates in every way, and taught them map- 
reading in exchange for explanation in the mechan- 
ism of the gun. The instructors were for the most 
part French or British and apparently had little time 
for race feeling. 

When the companies were divided into sections 
for trench-digging, dugout practice, construction of 
shafts, and camouflaged machine gun emplacements, 
the white and the colored men were in the same 
classes, and because of this contact both groups 
learned something of their comrades and became 
more liberal in their thoughts. In general the fine 
spirit prevailing in the camp was attributed to two 
things : first, to the influence of the camp commander, 
who was himself a Southern man, and second, to the 
fact that the new men reached camp just at the time 
of the Fourth Liberty Loan drive. The South, as 
well as the rest of the country, had really begun to 
feel the effects of the war, not only financially but 
also in the drain on its man-power ; and as the 13th 
company pursued its work with diligence and con- 
centration, always comparing favorably with others 
on the drill field, on the range, and in class work, 
there was a realization of the fact that, after all, they 
were fellow-Americans, slowly making headway ; 
and when at graduation these Negro men came for- 
ward to receive their commissions in the great 
Liberty Theatre, where thousands of their com- 
rades were, they were greeted with deafening ap- 
plause and every heart and voice and hand seemed 
to cheer them on their way. 



58 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

In the course of the preceding pages we have more 
than once touched upon incidents which not only 
affected the Negro officer personally but which also 
involved his real status in the army. It might now 
be in place to consider a little more fully some of the 
points raised. 

On the arrival of Negro officers at a camp, several 
questions immediately arose, as to their eating, their 
living, and their general contact with other officers. 
Sometimes they were not expected and found that 
no preparation had been made for them. Fairly 
typical of the Southern camps was Camp Mc- 
Clellan, Anniston, Ala., which showed something of 
conditions especially at the beginning. Seven officers 
were sent here in September, 1918, and placed in 
command of the detention camp. In three weeks 
the detention camp was broken up and the soldiers 
transferred to the depot brigade. The colored 
officers were then attached to the 437th Reserve 
Labor Battalion, where they were required to do 
very little work and were soon relieved of all re- 
sponsibility. Not all of the problems were confined 
to the South. In the North, however, big-hearted 
generals were usually in command and they decreed 
that regular army requirements should prevail. 

One matter that constantly arose was that of the 
salute. Because of the conflicting opinions on this 
subject. Gen. John B. Castleman, a major in the 
Confederate army, was asked for a statement as to 
his attitude. In giving his opinion he said : " The 
discipline of the army must be maintained, and non- 
commissioned officers understand little of the spirit 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 59 

of the army when they refuse to salute a Negro 
officer. I have held several commissions in the 
military service, and I unhesitatingly say that I 
would or will, at any time, salute an officer, superior 
or inferior, who salutes me, without regard to the 
color of his skin. The regulations, the laws, and the 
fundamentals of courtesy and discipline upon which 
these regulations are based prescribe this. We are 
at war, and soldiers are under the rules of the Ameri- 
can army. We are all under the flag. We salute 
the rank, not the individual." This statement by 
General Castleman did much to help conditions at 
Camp Taylor and elsewhere. In general the military 
courtesies accorded Negro officers depended largely 
on the stand of the generals commanding the camps. 
If they demanded that strict military regulations 
be followed, trouble was immediately reduced to a 
minimum. A notable example was the action of 
Gen. Thomas H. Barry, of Camp Grant, Rockford, 
111., who on the arrival of the Negro officers and men 
gave a " family talk " at headquarters in which he 
said : " These men have come here on the same duty, 
actuated by the same principles, as ourselves. They 
are entitled to respect because they soon will be 
fighting to defend our homes. Colored officers must 
be saluted as punctiliously as the white ones. The 
salute is of vital importance to the whole fabric of 
discipline. It is not only a courtesy, but a recognition 
of personal relations in the service." 

From time to time there were unfortunate oc- 
currences which received much publicity. Such was 
the case of Lieut. Joseph B. Saunders, who was 



Go SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

publicly assaulted at Vicksburg, Miss., because he 
wore his uniform home after his period of training 
at Des Moines ; also that of Lieut. Charles A. 
Tribbett, who was arrested and placed in jail for 
riding in a pullman car through the state of Okla- 
homa. There were also many instances in camp 
in which the Negro men themselves largely solved 
their problem. When colored officers arrived at 
Camp Funston, Kan., not over 10 per cent of the 
white officers and men saluted them. They had been 
told that they were going to have a hard time and 
set themselves with resolute purpose to the great 
task before them. In a month's time the raw re- 
cruits were marching with heads up, eyes front, 
shoulders back, and with every arm swinging in 
line. As they marched to and from drill, the gen- 
erals, colonels, and other officers as well as the men 
would stand along the " Golden Belt " and watch 
the black host as it passed. " This demonstra- 
tion," said one Negro captain, " changed every- 
thing. Now all men salute, and officers always try 
to salute first." As Negro officers grew in numbers 
and were distributed throughout the camps, and 
as accounts of heroic deeds were heralded from the 
battlefields, and as it became generally known that 
Negroes were responding liberally to the various calls 
at home, the American public saw the justice of ac- 
cording recognition or merit where it was due, and 
the principle of the salute for Negro officers was 
settled, although in practice it was not always carried 
out." 

Another matter that occasioned considerable feel- 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 6i 

ing was that of promotions. Many regular army 
officers served for several years with junior rank, but 
always looked forward to the time when they would 
be promoted. Their opportunity came during the 
war. Many junior officers in the regular army and 
even civilian officers were promoted several times in 
the course of a year. It was natural that colored 
officers should also look forward to promotions, which 
were regarded as a recognition of work well done. 

According to a memorandum of September 11, 
1918, the War Department established the com- 
mands to be occupied by white and colored officers 
in the organization of the 92nd Division, and indi- 
cated that every opportunity would be given the 
Negro men to advance. In practice, however, there 
seems to have been some difficulty about carrying 
out the ideas therein suggested. The percentage 
of white officers in the Division increased from 18 
per cent at the beginning, to 42 per cent on November 
30, 1918. Very few recommendations for the pro- 
motion of Negro officers were made and most of 
these are said to have been " pigeon-holed " at 
headquarters. Some recommendations that were 
filed in July and August, 1918, were held until after 
the signing of the Armistice on November 11, when 
an A. E. F. order prohibited the granting of any 
more commissions. Another factor which prevented 
promotions in the 92nd Division was that colored 
officers from the 369th, 370th, and 372nd, and 
graduates from officers' training schools in France 
were largely transferred to the 92nd Division. This 
made room for the promotion of white officers in 



62 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

the units from which the Negro officers were trans- 
ferred, but prevented the promotion of colored 
officers in the 92nd. 

Thus most of the Negro officers who served in the 
National Army were in the 92nd Division. The 
creation of this Division with Negro line officers was 
regarded by practically all regular army officers as 
one of the greatest mistakes ever made by the War 
Department. From their viewpoint it was wrong 
in principle, against all tradition, and could not 
possibly be a success. Not believing in the matter 
in principle, they did not want to deal with Negro 
men on such a basis ; they did things to discredit 
them, even to the extent of spreading propaganda 
as to their unfitness for the work. Thus unfortu- 
nately the Negro officers returned home feeling that 
their commanding officers were not their friends ; 
nor were matters improved by the effort of some in- 
competent men " higher up " who tried to cover their 
own inefficiency by laying the blame on the Negroes. 
The prevailing opinion expressed by the white officers 
returning from France was that the Negro soldier 
up to the rank of sergeant-major was a success, and 
they lauded the stevedore and labor organizations 
as contributing much to the magnificent service 
rendered by the Americans in Europe. The " ex- 
periment " of the Negro officer, they felt, was a 
different matter. A careful review of all the adverse 
points made might place them under four heads, as 
follows : First, the racial distinctions recognized in 
civilian life continued to be recognized in military 
life and presented a formidable barrier to the existence 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 63 

of a genuine feeling of comradeship ; second, the 
colored officers were lacking in initiative and ex- 
hibited a characteristic tendency to neglect the 
welfare of their men and to perform their duties in a 
perfunctory manner, thus entailing on the part of 
senior officers frequent attention to petty details ; 
third, many of the Negro officers went around with 
" a chip on their shoulders," looking for discrimina- 
tion and trouble ; and fourth, most of the colored 
officers were willing to discipline their men but were 
unwilling themselves to be disciplined, charging any 
attempt to discipline them to prejudice. 

These are serious charges. In reply to them first 
of all it is to be noted that on the troop ships, even 
before they got to France, the Negro officers were 
treated not according to their military rank but as 
on the basis of color. On the " George Washing- 
ton," for instance, which carried the 368th infantry, 
the tickets for the colored officers were marked with 
an X in the upper left hand corner, which enabled 
the purser to place them " conveniently." The 
tickets for the white officers were not marked, and 
they were given first class passage on Deck A in 
respect to both dining and state rooms ; but the 
colored officers, from the rank of captain down, were 
given second class passage in respect to staterooms 
and dining rooms. In traveling in France also the 
Negro officers were many times given third class 
coaches while the white officers were given first 
class. Specific cases are given where the officers 
were ordered by their commanders to take such 
passage. In the hotels and cafes as well constant 



64 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

effort was made for segregation, and in some cases 
instructions were given not to accept officers or 
soldiers when applications for rooms were made. 
At the Grand Hotel in Mayenne, where the division 
billeting officer was stationed, the hotel proprietress 
informed the colored officers, many of whom had 
previously stayed in the hotel, that they would have 
to go elsewhere for accommodations. On going to 
the " town major " to see about the new condition 
that had developed, the men were told that instruc- 
tions had been given to the effect that no more 
colored officers were to be allowed in the hotel. Such 
incidents could be multiplied a hundred times. 
While in themselves they are no positive proof of 
Negro valor, they explain a situation which certainly 
has to be taken into account in an impartial review. 

As to the charges of lack of initiative and the 
neglect of their men, the facts gathered from an in- 
vestigation of conditions among thousands of soldiers, 
both in America and France, would rather indicate 
that colored officers generally took more interest 
in their men than the average white officer, though of 
course some Negro officers were inefficient just as 
were some of other races. The charges of " neglect- 
ing the welfare of their men " were based in most 
cases upon the difficulty in securing supplies for 
colored troops. This was true not only with colored 
officers, for it was an accepted fact that white officers 
over Negro troops often experienced the greatest 
difficulty in getting the necessary supplies for their 
men. Negro officers who displayed initiative were 
frequently reprimanded for assuming authority, while 



THE NEGRO OFFICER 65 

on the other hand they were condemned if they 
waited for instructions ; for example, some who com- 
pleted the course at the First Corps School in France 
with credit were censured for not performing duties 
that they had been ordered to discontinue and were 
told to mind their business when they called attention 
to grave military errors, some of which resulted in 
casualties. Duties performed satisfactorily as a 
sergeant for more than ten years could not be per- 
formed by the same man after he became a lieu- 
tenant without the supervision of a battalion com- 
mander. 

In general the colored officers found complete co- 
operation with commanding officers nearly impossible. 
They were never taken into the confidence of their 
military superiors and were rarely ever questioned 
about matters affecting the men. One day a colonel 
met a colored captain whom he thought he had seen 
before. " Haven't I seen you somewhere I " he 
asked. " Yes, sir," replied the man, " I was with 
you on the border ; Captain French is my name, sir." 
" Oh, I do remember," said the colonel, " you are 
Sergeant French." "No, sir, I am Captain French." 
" Well," said the colonel as he walked away, " if I 
forget and call you Sergeant, don't mind." 

In spite of all the difficulties and criticisms, how- 
ever, large numbers of Negro officers were able to 
command and lead troops for the first time. In the 
pages to come there will be noted many instances 
not only of courage but also of efficiency, and it is 
a significant fact that the majority of these officers 
returned to the states in the 92nd Division. This 



ed SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

alone is proof that they w^ro^ fairly efficient, especially 
when it is remembered that on the slightest occasion 
they were sent before efficiency boards. More than 
a "thousand of these Negro line officers "saw it 
through " in France, rendering heroic service in the 
World War ; and it is pleasant to record that among 
those who served with them there were those who 
were not afraid to give credit where credit was due. 

One other matter is of importance in this general 
connection, and that is the question of the relation 
of the Negro officer to the reorganization of the army 
after the war was over. There are and probably 
always will be divers opinions as to the size and 
training of the regular army in peace times, as well 
as to the composition of the different units. In 
general, regular army officers felt that the time had 
not come in army affairs when it was expedient to 
include Negro officers in the plan of reorganization. 
Such a course was considered " an injustice to West 
Point graduates who had served as second lieu- 
tenants and waited their turn for promotion." The 
question was essentially not one of fitness but of 
tradition, as was shown by the word of a major who 
now sleeps in the Argonne and who was asked to 
send in the names of the men in his command who 
should go before an efficiency board. He com- 
mended highly the work of his officers, but con- 
cluded by saying that the whole principle of Negro 
officers was wrong and that he recommended that 
all should be relieved from duty. Such an attitude 
took tangible form in the action of members of some 



THE NEGRO OFFICER e^ 

of the examining boards for the regular army. One 
board discharged more than half of the officers in 
the division it was considering. Many who formerly 
had good grades were rated below 60, and while the 
questions asked were simple enough, all answers 
were deemed unsatisfactory. In the medical de- 
partment similar conditions prevailed. It was 
natural that the Negro men should feel that under 
the circumstances they had hardly been fairly dealt 
with ; moreover they had to meet the general 
prejudice of regular army officers against all civilian 
officers. One official said, " The regular army 
officers looked with disfavor upon both the National 
Guard and National Army officers, the National 
Guard officers discredited the National Army (90- 
day) officer, and all three combined against the Negro 
officer." When everything is considered, it is difficult 
to reconcile the methods used to eliminate Negro 
officers with the spirit of fairness and justice for 
which the army is renowned, or with the gentleman's 
agreement known to exist among fellow-officers, and 
it is to be regretted that some of the adverse opinions 
expressed were uttered by men in high positions who 
will help to determine the future policy of the War 
Department. 



CHAPTER IV 

HOPES AND FEARS 

PROPAGANDA was recognized by all the bellig- 
■■■ erent nations as a mighty weapon when ef- 
fectively used. That great things could be ac- 
complished by its use was demonstrated when a 
part of the Russian army surrendered to the enemy 
without bloodshed, when the Russian people rose up 
against their rulers, and when the German sailors 
turned against their commanders. In spite of some 
suggestions made to him, however, the Negro in the 
United States chose the better part, pledging his 
loyalty and support to the Government as far as 
necessary. 

When the selective draft was voted by Congress, 
there arose cries against the sending of Negroes to 
certain sections, and petitions and delegations went 
to Washington to prevail with the officials. It was 
feared that race friction would lead to riots, and es- 
pecially that there would be difficulty between the 
Negro soldiers and the civilian population. The 
Houston riot, occurring in 1917 just before Negro 
men were called to the camps, intensified this feeling 
and caused many cantonment cities to raise ob- 
jections to the placing of Negro soldiers in the camps 
near them. In South Carolina especially there was 

68 



HOPES AND FEARS 69 

strong protest on the part of prominent citizens, led 
by the Governor of the State ; and even one of the 
Negro churches, on the arrival of Negro soldiers at 
Camp Jackson, discontinued evening services for 
fear of trouble. Yet, although it was thought that 
this innovation would bring disaster to the state, 
from the beginning there was a feeling of comrade- 
ship between the white and the Negro soldiers. In 
a speech before the race conference held in Columbia 
March 13, 1918, the Governor, who had opposed 
the coming of the latter, commended them in the 
highest manner ; and the police department gave 
testimony to the fact that the Negro soldiers had 
been a credit to themselves and to the uniform they 
wore. At Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg, Miss., there 
was also opposition, but here again the conduct of 
the soldiers allayed all fears. At Rockford, 111., 
where the police force was enlarged in anticipation 
of the coming of the Negro men, and where an ad- 
dition was built to the jail to accommodate the 
expected number of offenders, the chief of police 
afterwards said that " The Negro soldiers made a 
splendid record — much better than was expected ; 
the enlarged jail was never needed for them." 

The finest atmosphere surrounding Negro soldiers 
in America was found at Camp Upton, N. Y. No 
protest was made by New York people about training 
Negroes at the camp, nor was there any propaganda 
about race riots or other disasters ; and because of 
this fact the relationship between the different groups 
was exceptionally good. The officers and also the 
welfare workers were, with rare exceptions, fair and 



70 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

considerate In their treatment. This example of 
real Americanism was due to the generous spirit of 
the New York people and to the high stand and 
impartial attitude taken by the late Gen. I. Franklin 
Bell, commander. In settling all questions of racial 
relationship he insisted that all men be given fair 
and equal treatment. Not only In this camp, but 
In every cantonment city. East, West, North, or 
South, the officials, including judges and chiefs of 
police, as well as citizens from all walks of life, spoke 
in the highest terms of the conduct of the Negro 
soldiers. 

In France there arose two forms of subtle and 
dangerous propaganda with which the Negro had to 
contend. One was disseminated by the Germans 
and the other by some of his own comrades in arms 
Over the lines the Germans sent their insidious 
matter, of which the following is a sample : 

" To the Colored Soldiers of the U. S. Army, 

September, 191 8, Vosges Mountains. 
" Hello, boys, what are you doing over there ? Fighting 
the Germans ? Why ? Have they ever done you any 
harm ? Of course, some white folks and the lying English- 
American papers told you that the Germans ought to be 
wiped out for the sake of humanity and democracy. What 
is democracy ? Personal freedom, all citizens enjoying 
the same rights socially and before the law. Do you 
enjoy the same rights as the white people do in America, 
the land of freedom and democracy ? Or aren't you 
rather rated over there as second class citizens ? Can 
you go to a restaurant where white people dine, can you 
get a seat in a theatre where white people sit, can you 
get a pullman seat or berth in a railroad car, or can you 



HOPES AND FEARS 71 

ride in the South in the same street car with white people ? 
And how about the law ? Is lynching and the most hor- 
rible cruelties connected therewith a lawful proceeding 
in a democratic country ? 

" Now all of this is entirely different in Germany, where 
they do like colored people, where they do treat them as 
gentlemen and not as second class citizens. They enjoy 
exactly the same social privileges as every white man, and 
quite a number of colored people have mighty fine posi- 
tions in Berlin and other big German cities. 

" Why, then, fight the Germans only for the benefit 
of the Wall Street robbers to protect the millions they 
have lent to the English, French, and Italians ? You 
have been made the tool of the egotistic and rapacious 
rich in England and America, and there is nothing in the 
whole game for you but broken bones, horrible wounds, 
broken health or — death. No satisfaction whatever 
will you get out of this unjust war. You have never seen 
Germany ; so you are fools if you allow people to teach 
you to hate it. Come over and see for yourself. Let 
those do the fighting who make profit out of this war ; 
don't allow them to use you as cannon food. To carry 
the gun in their defense is not an honor but a shame. 
Throw it away and come over to the German lines. You 
will find friends who will help you along." 

Copies of this document fell among the Negro 
soldiers in the front line trenches. Every effort was 
made to keep the men from reading it, but many- 
secured copies nevertheless. They said to their 
officers who went among them to gather up the 
copies, " We know what they say is true, but don't 
worry ; we're not going over." 

The other propaganda with which Negro officers 
and soldiers had to contend was inaugurated to dis- 
credit them in French opinion to the extent that they 



72 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

would not be accorded social recognition or ac- 
cepted as equals. There was organized effort on the 
part of the American military authorities to influence 
French public opinion in this regard. In its issue 
for May, 1919, the Crisis published a document on 
" Secret information concerning black American 
troops," sent out on August 7, 1918, by the French 
military mission stationed with the American Army. 
The object of this document was to give French 
officers commanding black American troops " an 
exact idea of the position occupied by Negroes in 
the United States." Conclusions were reached as 
follows : " We must prevent the rise of any pro- 
nounced degree of intimacy between French officers 
and black officers " ; " We must not commend too 
highly the black Americans " .; and " Make a point 
of keeping the native cantonment population from 
' spoiling ' the Negroes." This document did not 
represent French but American opinion, and when 
the French ministry heard of its distribution, copies 
were collected and burned. 

Meanwhile individuals exerted great effort to in- 
fluence the French population in the treatment of 
Negro soldiers. At times when Negro troops went 
to a city which had been occupied by white soldiers, 
the people stood off and were afraid, partly because 
they had not seen so many Negroes before, but also 
because of the statements that had been made. At 
Bourbonne Les Bains the people were told that they 
must remain indoors, carry guns, and not allow 
Negroes in their homes. Among the statements 
that the French people themselves afterwards in- 



HOPES AND FEARS 73 

formed the Negroes were made were the following : 
" Negroes cannot be treated with common civility " ; 
" They are no good " ; " They are rapists " ; 
" Americans lynch and burn Negroes to keep them 
in their places " ; and " They are uncivilized and 
have tails like monkeys." The spirit which prompted 
some men to make the statements given here 
prompted others to use their authority to carry out 
their ideas. There were " campaigns of ruthless- 
ness," and many unkind deeds occurred in the eifort 
to perpetuate " American ideals." Certainly two- 
thirds of the difficulties experienced by the colored 
soldiers in France were due to American resentment 
of the attitude of the French people in receiving them 
on equal terms, and especially of the kindly dis- 
position of the French women. Much of the denial 
of privileges to Negro soldiers to visit parts of France 
was due, directly or indirectly, to the effort to prevent 
them from associating with the French people. 
Thousands of men within a few hours of Paris were 
not able to get more than a twelve-hour pass. 

Facts gathered from personal investigation and 
interviews in France indicate that in spite of 
propaganda Negro officers and soldiers got along 
well with the French people. After they were in 
town a few days the people would cease to fear 
them and would ask why such strange relation- 
ships existed between comrades in arms from the 
same country. Both officers and men were invited 
into the homes of the people. French children were 
treated with the greatest deference by the Negro 
soldiers, and as a result a real brotherhood was es- 



74 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

tablished. The picture that appeared in Life, show- 
ing a colored soldier carrying a bundle for an old 
French woman met along the way, was typical and 
represented what occurred almost daily in France- 
Many helped the peasants to harvest their crops or 
to do any other work in which they were engaged. 
They always lent a hand whenever it was pos- 
sible. 

During 1918 reports were current in France, es- 
pecially in American circles, including the army and 
welfare organizations, that the committing of the 
crime of rape was very common and that Negro 
officers as well as privates were guilty. On August 
21 a memorandum was issued from the headquarters 
of the 92nd Division " to prevent the presence of 
colored troops from being a menace to women." 
This said in part : " On account of the increasing 
frequency of the crime of rape, or attempted rape, 
in this Division, drastic preventive measures have 
become necessary. . . . Until further notice, there 
will be a check of all troops of the 92nd Division 
every hour daily between reveille and 11.00 p. m., 
with a written record showing how each check was 
made, by whom, and the result. . . . The one- 
mile limit regulation will be strictly enforced at 
all times, and no passes will be issued except to men 
of known reliability." The next day another memo- 
randum was sent out saying that the commander-in- 
chief of the American Expeditionary Forces " would 
send the 92nd Division back to the United States 
or break it up into labor battalions as unfit to bear 
arms in France, if efforts to prevent rape were not 



HOPES AND FEARS 75 

taken more seriously." The next day the order for 
the hourly check of personnel was annulled, but 
in the meantime much discussion had been oc- 
casioned. 

As the rumors continued to spread, Dr. Robert R. 
Moton was asked by the President of the United 
States and the Secretary of War to go to France and 
investigate the charges. On reaching France he 
went immediately to General Headquarters at 
Chaumont and from there to the Marbache sector, 
where he met General Martin, who was in command 
of the 92nd Division. On making inquiry Dr. 
Moton was informed by the General that twenty- 
six cases of the crime had occurred in the Division 
up to December 16, 1918, and staff officers who were 
present substantiated by conversation the general 
statements. Dr. Moton then asked the General if 
he would mind having one of his aides get the records 
inasmuch as the reputation of a race was at stake 
and as general statements were often misleading. 
When the records were brought in and examined 
only seven cases charged could be found. Of those 
charged only two men had been found guilty and 
convicted, and one of the two convictions had been 
turned down by general headquarters. " In other 
fighting units," says Dr. Moton, " as well as in 
Bordeaux, St. Nazaire, and Brest, where many of 
the service of supplies troops were located, and at 
many other places, I made the same investigations. 
I interviewed American and French commanding 
officers. I talked as well with scores of American 
and French officers of lower rank. When the records 



76 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

were taken, as was the case with the 92nd Division, 
the number of cases charged were few. The opinion 
at general headquarters of the American forces was 
that the crime to which I have referred was no more 
prevalent among Negro soldiers than among white 
soldiers or any soldiers." 

The following record of rape In the 92nd Division 
was given to the writer by Major A. E. Patterson, 
judge advocate : " Ten soldiers were tried for assault 
with intent to rape. Five of those were bona fide 
efforts to accomplish that crime. The other five 
were simple assaults with no evidence to support 
the charge of assault with intent to commit rape. 
Three of the cases were actual rape cases, only one 
of which was in the 92nd Division. The other two 
were in units commanded by white officers. The 
other two men convicted, one of whom was hanged, 
were In labor battalions In the 92nd Division area, 
neither of the three cases of rape occurring in units 
commanded by colored officers." The judge advo- 
cate in the headquarters of the service of supplies 
at Tours said that " since February, 1919, there had 
been only one assault with Intent to commit rape 
in sections 4, 6, 7, and 9, where there were more than 
75,000 Negro soldiers. The rape stories seem not to 
be substantiated." In American camps there were 
two cases of the crime, one at Camp Dodge and one 
at Camp Grant. 

The rape charges against Negro soldiers appear 
to have been greatly magnified. They were simply 
a part of the general propaganda to discredit Negro 
men in arms. It is not our Intention to give the 



HOPES AND FEARS ^^ 

impression that there were not a few individuals who 
were guilty of the crime. It is a fact, however, that 
the wild rumors were simply one more effort to in- 
fluence the French people in their dealings with 
Negro Americans. 



CHAPTER V 

THE LURE OF THE UNIFORM 

TTISTORIANS tell us that when, In the fifteenth 
■*■ -*■ century, Jeanne d'Arc led the soldiers of France 
to victory, no women followed the army. This was 
not true of the victorious armies in the World War. 
Wherever the soldiers camped, in the North, East, 
South, or West, in a camp near a great metropolis or 
in one far from cities and railroads, in America or 
in France, there women were to be found. For the 
first time also the War Department made formal 
provision for the American soldiers to have the 
gentle and civilizing influence of women ; and 
barracks and tented camps were soon followed by 
hostess houses or other structures, tastefully fur- 
nished and decorated, and presided over by kind- 
hearted hostesses. 

When this great plan was conceived, little thought 
was given at first to the Negro soldier and to the 
entertainment of his women-folk. For some time, 
if they visited camp, they found that no provision 
was made to receive them. Sometimes it was a 
mother who had traveled miles just to see if Uncle 
Sam was kind to her only son, or a wife from a dis- 
tant state, who arrived discouraged and with de- 
pleted funds, only to find that her husband had just 

78 



THE LURE OF THE UNIFORM 79 

embarked for a distant land ; or perhaps a sweet- 
heart hoped to get a last glance and bid a last fare- 
well. 

There was still another woman who had no such 
innocent mission and whose heart went out to every 
soldier. It was this one who made a real problem. 
Little interest was shown in her by camp authorities. 
Sometimes she remained in camp streets until as late 
as eleven o'clock at night ; or she might be seen 
under the trees, in the groves, or waiting along the 
camp roads. At Camp Dodge women were allowed 
in camp from early morning until late in the evening, 
with no restrictions whatever. Some were the 
wives of soldiers, but some others came to the camp 
for the purpose of forming acquaintances. Occasion- 
ally a girl was seen giving her address to a crowd of 
soldiers surrounding her. At Camp Hancock, Au- 
gusta, Ga., a quarantine stopped the daily visiting 
of women, who were required to register in the '' Y " 
tent, which they soon practically deserted. In general 
the commander of a camp made such regulations as 
he thought best. On rare occasions women were 
compelled to secure passes before entering ; but in 
most cases they could enter during the day without 
passes, being governed only by visiting hours, which 
were usually from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. 

As the war progressed, the tendency throughout 
the country was to improve conditions in this con- 
nection. Even before the spring and summer of 
1918, when some hostess houses were erected for 
colored soldiers, there were bright spots where an 
effort was made to meet the problem. One of the 



8o SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

best systems regulating the visiting of women found 
anywhere was at Camp Funston, where a visitors' 
day was held the first Satuday of each month. This 
rule was strictly enforced and not even officers could 
take women into the camp except on this day. On 
this occasion, however, the officers and soldiers be- 
came the hosts, entertaining their friends at dinner, 
after which there were usually socials and dances. 
Large numbers of colored women visited Camp 
Taylor, Louisville, Ky., and their conduct is said 
to have been excellent. The Y. W. C. A. had the 
use of a small building, conveniently located on the 
car track, and here the women were helped to get 
in touch with relatives. Where the number of women 
who visited a camp was small, the problem of pro- 
viding facilities was naturally less diificult. At 
Camp Devens, Mass., near which the colored popu- 
lation was small, women visited the " Y " buildings 
and also the houses in charge of white hostesses, if 
they so desired. The soldiers were permitted to 
invite them to dinner in their mess halls. All were 
expected to leave the camp by 7.30, and the military 
police saw that this rule was enforced. In general 
where there was a sincere efi"ort on the part of the 
authorities and the different agencies to provide for 
the welfare of colored women visitors, the problem 
was reduced to a minimum, and the visits con- 
tributed to the happiness of the soldiers and the 
morale of the army, as was the intention from the 
beginning. 

The problem which grew to be vexing in the camps 
became far more difficult to control in the cities ; 



THE LURE OF THE UNIFORM 8i 

and Government officials familiar with the popu- 
larity of the uniform proceeded immediately to clean 
up every city adjacent to the cantonments by abol- 
ishing all forms of legalized vice. Cities thus lo- 
cated were able, with Federal aid, to introduce in one 
week reforms that had been desired and worked for, 
with no results, for decades. The closing of the dis- 
tricts, however, did not mean the complete elimina- 
tion of the evils which existed. It often meant 
simply a distributing of the problem to various 
sections of the city. New restaurants, hotels, and 
boarding houses were opened, and there were usually 
to be found in them attractive girls who served as 
waitresses. Although the cafe sign was sometimes 
seen on the windows, " no meals were ever served 
nor fire ever seen in the kitchen." It was through 
such places as these that well-intentioned women 
and girls sometimes found themselves in the clutches 
of the law. 

It was in one of the large cantonment cities that a 
party of four such women arrived from the far South 
to see their husbands before they entrained for parts 
unknown. The women were not met at the station 
by their husbands, as was planned, because they were 
several hours late in arriving. They were directed 
to a hotel just two blocks from the station, and here 
they found the parlor and dining room filled with 
soldiers and their friends. Among the men in uni- 
form they felt more at ease, and they asked several 
soldiers if they knew their husbands. Finally a 
young man said that he was in the same company 
as one of the men named, and that he would tell him 



82 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

about his wife as soon as he reached camp, as it was 
not possible to reach him that night. Tired from 
travel and anxiety, the women retired with pleasant 
thoughts of meeting their loved ones in the morning. 
In the very early morning, however, while the city 
still slumbered, a knock on the door awoke them. 
One sprang to the door, but instead of finding her 
hus^band she was greeted by an officer, who told all 
four to dress and follow him. All their tears and 
explanations did not suffice to move him. With a 
score of other women they were carried away to 
prison. As the turnkey closed the great iron door 
some of the number seemed indifferent, but the hearts 
of others were seized with fear lest some awful thing 
should happen. The next morning the husbands of 
the four women were reached and they were re- 
leased, made wiser by their bitter experience. 

Hotels and boarding houses, however, were only 
one phase of the matter. On the city streets, in the 
dance halls, in the soft drink parlors, wherever 
soldiers craved companionship, there the problem 
of the girl was to be found. It was most serious in the 
case of young girls fourteen to sixteen years of age, 
who were sometimes seen on the streets long after 
midnight, and it is to be remembered that in the 
Negro sections of the cities the streets were often 
dark and conducive to all forms of evil. Sometimes 
conditions were winked at by officials who opposed 
destroying the old order of things. In one case, 
after Government criticism, the local police made 
indiscriminate arrests in a pretended effort to clean 
up. This resulted in lawsuits which halted the work. 



THE LURE OF THE UNIFORM 83 

Ignorant girls were brought Into court, but those in 
higher places were seldom arrested. Even when 
arrests were made, the evidence revealed often 
brought a quick release. In one court a woman was 
sentenced to a year in prison and fined ^1000 for 
leading girls astray, but within a few days, through 
the influence of unseen forces, she was again enjoying 
her liberty. A strange leniency also was often found 
in Southern courts in the case of colored girls whose 
conduct had brought them there ; it did not seem to 
be required or expected that colored girls should live 
up to the same standards as white girls. Sometimes 
unsympathetic lawyers made sport of them for the 
amusement of crowded court rooms. They were not 
taken behind closed doors for protection, as were 
other girls charged with similar offences. Seldom, 
until near the end of the war, were there detention 
homes to which they could go and find a genuinely 
helpful guiding hand. Money appropriated by the 
Government for the establishment of detention 
homes in cantonment cities was seldom used for 
Negro girls. Instead they were usually placed in 
jail, or sent to the prison farm or the " stockade," the 
home of the chain gang. The jails in which they 
were confined were, with few exceptions, demoraliz- 
ing and a disgrace to the cities. The inmates lived 
in dirt and disease, sleeping on ragged, greasy mat- 
tresses on concrete floors and eating food prepared 
in the most unsanitary manner. In one instance 
colored girls were placed in a room 20 feet by 10, 
with their cots close together. An open toilet was 
in the back of the room, which was without windows 



84 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

or any means of ventilation except an electric fan. 
In such environment were placed many girls arrested 
for the first time. They associated with confirmed 
criminals and the living conditions and the treatment 
which they received made it well nigh impossible for 
them to lead a different life after being released. 
Sometimes they worked on the city farms, in the 
jails, or on rock piles in the jail yards. In one case 
they were marched through the streets to and from 
the work of cleaning the city cemetery. 

Who were these girls who, in their early teens, 
found themselves in the clutches of the law ^ For 
the most part they were ignorant and were growing 
up without the influence of interested parents. 
Some could not read or write ; frequently they were 
exploited. It is to be noted also that this concrete 
problem was often complicated by other social or 
economic forces. In practically every cantonment 
city orders were issued to prevent white soldiers 
from entering undesirable Negro sections. The en- 
forcement of such orders, however, was difiicult be- 
cause of the frequent leniency of the guardians of 
the law. In one city a prominent member of the 
Chamber of Commerce said, " The colored people 
will probably never get over the effect of the moral 
lapse due to the presence of the camp and the 
soldiers." He grew eloquent in describing the depths 
to which the city had fallen and the difficulty of get- 
ting servants. Those who had formerly helped in 
some of the old families were now leading an easier 
life and wearing on the streets clothes of the most 
expensive style. Such a speaker apparently forgot 



THE LURE OF THE UNIFORM 85 

that the exodus had made great drafts on labor, that 
many women were doing work formerly done by 
men, and that the increased wages had enabled many 
men to keep their wives at home. 

Even when the moral situation was dark, however, 
all was not hopeless. Sometimes a wise and big- 
hearted judge gave justice tempered with mercy. 
Sometimes women, both colored and white, toiled 
untiringly in their effort to save girls from the folly 
of their ways. The attitude of the Negro people 
themselves was most important. Among them there 
was often found a strange lack of sympathy and 
interest. This was sometimes attributed to the 
attitude of officials who would not deal with them 
in a respectful manner. While this was often the 
case, there was also a feeling on the part of many 
good people that they could not afford to help 
such girls. One churchman who was asked for his 
cooperation said, " I don't know whether I can afford 
to come to the jail," and another, " My mind is on 
heavenly things ; I haven't any time for such work." 
Gradually the situation improved, however, and we 
shall now consider some of the forces for moral 
betterment. One of these, the War Camp Com- 
munity Service, will receive extended treatment in 
our next chapter in connection with the subject of 
Welfare Organizations. Just now we are interested 
especially in the influences that bore directly upon 
the Negro woman or girl who in one way or another 
was affected by the war. 



86 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

GIRLS' PROTECTIVE AGENCY 

The Girls' Protective Agency was active in several 
cantonment cities where Negro soldiers were sta- 
tioned. Comparatively few colored women repre- 
sented this organization, but those who did labored 
most effectively. The worker at Anniston, Ala., 
gave her entire time to colored girls. The Negro 
women of the city formed a cooperating committee 
composed of representatives from every church. 
The names of girls who were thought to be careless 
in their conduct were given to the one in charge and 
she visited the girls and their parents. In this way 
many were helped. The white workers also some- 
times took an active interest in colored girls, es- 
pecially those who found their way into the courts. 
Where grave problems arose from the intermingling 
of the races, every effort was made to relieve the 
situation for the good of both. 

TRAVELERS' AID SOCIETY 

Representatives of the Travelers' Aid Society often 
rendered genuine service to colored women visiting 
cantonment cities in search of their friends in the 
camps. They usually put them in touch with the 
local Y. W. C. A. or with representative women who 
could tell them of reliable places where they could 
stay. While some assistants were indifferent, most 
of them were impartial and took the same interest 
in providing for the Negro women who came to their 
cities as for the white women. This was especially 
true of a worker in Manhattan, Kansas, who labored 
earnestly for the colored girls who visited thejrail- 



THE LURE OF THE UNIFORM 87 

road stations in order to meet soldiers. According 
to reports of reliable colored citizens, she talked to 
the girls as she would to her own daughters. 

Y. W. C. A. — HOSTESS HOUSES 

The Young Women's Christian Association es- 
tablished constructive work in cantonment cities by 
organizing the best girls into clubs and patriotic 
leagues for various kinds of war effort. Such en- 
deavor was in the field of preventive rather than of 
constructive work. That at Louisville is fairly 
representative of what was done in the cantonment 
cities. Here an attractive building was secured 
and placed in charge of an executive secretary, who 
was assisted by a girls' worker. Clubs were or- 
ganized among the employed girls and school girls, 
and Bible, cooking, and French classes conducted. 
Five hundred women and girls were organized into 
twenty-six circles, with a captain over each circle; 
and an information bureau was conducted for the 
soldiers. 

Of the various kinds of service rendered by the 
Y. W. C. A. the erection of fifteen hostess houses 
in the various camps was the greatest achievement 
and filled one of the greatest needs of the Negro 
soldier and his women folk. It is doubtful if any 
other welfare work gave more pleasure. Rightly was 
the hostess house called " a bit of home in the camps, 
a place of rest and refreshment for the women folks 
belonging to the soldiers, a sheltering chaperonage 
for too-enthusiastic girls, a dainty supplement to the 
stern fare of the camp life of the soldiers, a clearing 



88 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

house for the social activities which included the men 
in the camps and their women visitors." 

While the need was always great, the development 
of hostess houses for Negro soldiers and women was 
very slow. Camp commanders often failed to see 
the need of such an addition, and the uncertainty 
of Negro soldiers' definitely remaining a part of camp 
organizations was usually given as the reason for 
delay. At length, however, through the untiring 
efforts of Miss Eva D. Bowles, leader of Y, W. C. A. 
work for Negro girls, her co-workers, and the War 
Work Council of the Y. W. C. A., these buildings 
came into being. The work was started at Camp 
Upton, N. Y., where barracks were used as temporary 
quarters. Later the first hostess house for Negro 
workers was erected in this camp. It was well lo- 
cated, attractively finished, and splendidly equipped. 
Five efiicient secretaries were employed. Every 
evening the house was crowded. The soldiers were 
served at the cafeteria, or they read, wrote letters, 
sang, played, or mingled with their comrades. For 
some of the men it was the most wholesome environ- 
ment they had ever enjoyed. The second hostess 
house was erected at Camp Dix, N. J. It was a 
spacious building, beautifully furnished and arranged, 
and the New Jersey Federated Clubs of Colored 
Women spent 31200 in helping to furnish the build- 
ing. The third was at Camp Funston. Late in the 
spring of 1918 barracks were used here, but in the 
course of the summer a hostess house was completed 
just outside the camp and three secretaries were 
employed. Perhaps the largest and most attractive 



THE LURE OF THE UNIFORM 89 

house was at Camp Sherman, Chlllicothe, O. When 
it was opened the sergeants in the various companies 
of Negro soldiers entertained their men in it in order 
to make them interested. At the suggestion of the 
hostesses a Christmas tree was secured by the Y. M. 
C. A. secretary and a Negro officer, and put up for the 
men by the cooperation of the fire and electrical de- 
partments in the camp. The need was greatest in 
the Southern camps because these were visited by 
hundreds of Negro women daily. By the fall of 
1918 houses were at both Camp Gordon and Camp 
Jackson. The building at Gordon was situated just 
beyond the street car station outside the camp. 
The one at Jackson was well located in relation to 
the headquarters group of buildings. Both had 
unusually large porches. At Camp Jackson the 
settees used in the yard were built by soldiers. Two 
of the last houses opened for Negro men were at 
Camp Meade, Md., and Camp Alexander, Newport 
News, Va. Returning soldiers held their farewell 
socials in these buildings. 

In every camp the soldiers showed a fine spirit 
in visiting the hostess houses, especially in regard 
to conduct. They looked upon the secretaries as 
their friends and ofttimes went to them with their 
troubles. In turn those in charge not only served 
the women visitors, but brought comfort and cheer 
to many a heartsick soldier, and they gave many a 
commanding officer and welfare worker a new con- 
ception of the ability and worth of Negro womanhood. 
In one case the executive secretary was known 
throughout the camp as " Mother," because of her 



90 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

understanding heart and her large appreciation of 
the problems of the men. 

Negroes were highly commended for their loyalty 
in aiding the Government and for their willingness 
to co-operate with all welfare agencies during the 
war. There were, however, some workers who, 
though they rendered great service, did not always 
receive the plaudits of the crowd because they worked 
more humbly and did not always have the backing of 
a great organization. Among these were those 
women who went out into the highways and byways 
in order to help girls and lead them into the noblest 
life. Sometimes their work was difficult, for public 
officials did not always welcome them ; but initiative 
and tact told, and we must speak of three such 
women who were representative. 

The first was Mrs. R. T. Brooks, who when the 
war began was working for the associated charities 
of Columbia, S. C. Her experience in dealing with 
poverty and with lives that had been wasted or whose 
opportunities had been lost, prepared her to meet 
the problems following the establishment of Camp 
Jackson. Day and night she was seen in all parts 
of the city on the watch for those whom she might 
help, and the little pay she received was often 
divided with those who needed aid. She was re- 
spected by judges and policemen in the court room, 
where she often went to intercede for some erring 
girl, and one of the leading lawyers of Columbia said 
of her work, " Mrs. Brooks is the most efiicient 
worker, white or colored, in the city." 



THE LURE OF THE UNIFORM 91 

In Little Rock, Ark., a few years before the war, a 
fourteen-year old Negro girl was arraigned in court, 
charged with murder and seven other offences, any 
one of which, if proved, would have given her a 
prison sentence. The case aroused the colored 
women of the city, who followed the trial with 
interest. The city attorney who was conducting 
the case had little belief in Negro womanhood, but 
before the case was summed up a number of the 
women called on him and presented the girl's side. 
The conference bore fruit, for the attorney, who had 
been violent in his attack, at the end of his argument 
asked for mercy, showing how environment had 
played a large part in the unfortunate girl's life. 

After this trial the Negro women of Little Rock, 
with the permission of the court, appointed and for 
two years paid the salary of Mrs. Maggie A. Jeffries, 
who looked after the interest of Negro girls. When 
soldiers came to Little Rock, her experience had 
prepared her for the emergency. Her work received 
the most enthusiastic approval of numbers of 
prominent citizens, and through her aid the work 
was formally taken over by the city, and all probation 
workers used the same office. Many a time this 
earnest helper pleaded with the judge to turn some 
erring girl over to her, and she found honest work 
for the girl or bought a ticket and sent her home to her 
parents. 

It was realized and often admitted by policemen 
and judges that a well trained Negro woman with 
police authority could render invaluable service 
with the problems of the Negro girl who appeared at 



92 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

court, but generally such power was denied. Mrs. 
Mary Colson, of Des Moines, however, was given 
such authority, being commissioned by the Governor 
as a member of the secret service of the state. She 
also received a certificate from the Policemen's 
Institute, a course of lectures given to the Des 
Moines police. When Mrs. Colson was first ap- 
pointed many a policeman treated the appointment 
as a joke, but before long she was able to prove her 
worth, and she became a force that helped hundreds 
of women and girls to make a new start. It was not 
her prime mission to arrest, and she did so only in 
extreme cases. Her work was as blessed as it was 
far-reaching. 



CHAPTER VI 

THE " Y " AND OTHER WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS 

T^TO organization ever employed a greater number 
of workers to serve men without cost than did 
the Young Men's Christian Association during the 
Great War. Millions of dollars given by the Ameri- 
can people were spent in carrying out its program of 
service. Wherever there were American soldiers, 
in the camps at home, at the base ports, on the battle 
front, in leave areas, or behind the lines in France, 
there they were followed and served by the Y. M. C. 
A. Some of the workers even followed the troops 
" over the top," sacrificing life itself in their endeavor 
to give comfort and cheer to the men. 

Negro soldiers shared in the *' Y " service both at 
home and in France. At first they were somewhat 
overlooked, but through the efforts of Dr. Jesse E. 
Moorland and his associates provision was made 
for them. In the National Army cantonments 
large " Y " huts with six secretaries were maintained, 
— building, business, religious, educational, physical, 
and social secretaries, — each of whom developed his 
particular line of work. Sometimes a second build- 
ing or tent was used. The secretaries met in the 
general Y. M. C. A. conferences held weekly with 
the camp secretary, who usually co-operated in 
every possible way. 

93 



94 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

The effectiveness of the work depended largely 
upon the efficiency and ability of the building sec- 
retary to co-operate with his staff and the camp 
officials. Often these secretaries not only effectively 
supervised the work in their buildings, but they also 
watched the morale of the soldiers and held con- 
ferences with commanding officers for the purpose of 
improving unsatisfactory conditions. The business 
secretary conducted the stamp and money order 
business. This alone in some camps amounted to 
sums ranging from 3150 to 3200 a day. Lectures 
were given to the men on the value of saving and 
they often bore fruit. At Camp Dodge 310,000 was 
sent home by the soldiers in one month. The edu- 
cational secretary worked mainly to reach the men 
who could not read or write. In Camp Dodge, where 
perhaps the most successful work was done, 2300 
Negro soldiers learned to read and write and to do 
simple work in arithmetic and drawing, using imple- 
ments of warfare as models. A business course and 
instruction in French were offered to those men who 
had sufficient education. 

Colonel Bush, who was in charge of the educational 
work at Camp Dodge, ordered all illiterate men to 
attend school, and the rule made by many company 
commanders that every man must sign his name 
before drawing his pay, served as a great incentive to 
study. This school for Negro soldiers in the 366th 
Regiment was well organized, with the educational 
secretary, George H. Fortner, as superintendent. 
Each company represented a part of the school, with 
a lieutenant as head, and non-commissioned officers, 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 95 

who did the teaching, as assistants. For every 
fourteen men a teacher was furnished, and there 
were ample materials. Educational lectures in the 
different camps were also appreciated, as well as the 
circulation of books. Naturally the success of all 
such work as this depended primarily on the initiative 
of the secretary and his co-operation with the camp 
authorities. 

The physical secretary's work was to promote 
athletics, chiefly games, boxing and wrestling. In 
camps where there were combatant units the athletic 
officers and the physical secretaries co-operated, and 
there the best organizations were found. In non- 
combatant units effective athletic work was seldom 
found, partly because of the nature of their organiza- 
tion. However, in some of these, teams were or- 
ganized, and the secretaries were able at times to 
get outside agencies to provide equipment. The 
women of Cuthbert, Ga., gave basket ball equipment 
for two teams and a shooting gallery costing $44. 
As a result there was organized a team which played 
Morehouse College and the Columbus Y. M. C. A. 

The work of the social secretary was of great im- 
portance. He it was who furnished relaxation and 
entertainment after the arduous tasks of the day. 
Moving pictures, given from two to five times a 
week ; programs, consisting of singing, dancing, 
stunts, and recitations, by talent in cantonment 
cities or by company entertainers ; concerts, by 
bands or great singers ; and addresses by famous 
speakers, filled the " Y," even the windows and 
rafters, with men at night. Of such service no group 



96 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

was more appreciative than the Negro soldiers. 
Members of the race in cantonment cities co-operated 
splendidly, and schools sometimes sent quartets or 
orchestras. Sometimes there were Christmas trees 
hung with presents ranging from tooth brushes to 
wrist watches, and with each present was a bag of 
popcorn and a personal letter. On one occasion 
when more than a hundred white soldiers were present 
at such a festivity, they also received presents. 
Many of the entertainers on the " Y " circuit were 
also enjoyed by the men, though too often in some 
camps their programs happened to be given in every 
building except the one attended by the Negro 
soldiers. 

The religious secretaries were usually ministers 
of considerable experience. Negro soldiers had high 
regard for things religious. Bible classes were con- 
ducted every Sunday morning, and were followed 
by preaching, sometimes by local ministers. Weekly 
Bible classes or prayer meetings were also held, and 
sometimes " sings " or testimonial meetings. At 
these meetings the soldiers often took a stand for 
Christ, and in such cases the secretary wrote personal 
letters to their families, informing them of the fact 
and asking them to write letters of encouragement. 
The many personal interviews which these secretaries 
had with the soldiers gave them some of the best 
opportunities of rendering service. 

In the smaller camps things were not always as 
well appointed as in the larger ones. No big pro- 
gram could be carried out, though religious and some- 
times educational work was conducted. In the 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 97 

South, moreover, the colored secretaries most fre- 
quently did not attend the general " Y " conferences. 
In spite of all discouraging circumstances, however, 
the development of the work was rapid. What was 
done at Camp Hill, Newport News, Va., shows what 
was possible after an unpromising beginning. In 
October, 1917, two Hampton students, W. D. Elam 
and E. M. Mitchell, went to serve 4500 men, using 
an army tent for the work. The tent was destroyed 
in a storm and was replaced by a smaller one, 16 by 
16, in which three men lived and where there were, 
in addition, a stove, a victrola, and a piano. Stamps 
and stationery were handled, and small meetings 
held. This was the extent of the facilities in one 
of the coldest winters Virginians had ever seen. In 
the early spring, however, a barrack was secured 
through the aid of the officers, and in April a large 
" Y " building was dedicated with a full staff of 
secretaries and all necessary equipment. Here, as 
elsewhere, the soldiers were served in numberless 
ways ; and when the time came to go to France, 
there was chocolate or lemonade, with sandwiches, 
and the secretaries accompanied the men to the 
port of embarkation, where they separated from each 
with a touching farewell and a most fervent " God 
bless you." 

IN FRANCE 

As one traveled among the soldiers in France he 
saw in almost every camp the Y. M. C. A. hut or 
tent. There were 7850 " Y " workers overseas, 
1350 of whom were women. Of this large number 
87 were Negroes and 19, women of the race. Only 



98 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

three of these Negro women were in France during 
the actual fighting, and not until the spring of 1919 
did others sail. At the head of the colored secre- 
taries was Dr. John Hope, president of Morehouse 
College, Atlanta, Ga., who was stationed at the 
" Y " headquarters in Paris, where he helped to 
solve many problems regarding the work. Travel- 
ing over France, he visited many units of troops, saw 
their needs, and tried to meet them. There were 
hardly ever more than 75 Negro secretaries in France 
at one time, and these were scattered among nearly 
200,000 Negro soldiers. They served with the 
fighting units, with the troops in the service of 
supplies, and in the leave areas. The fighting units 
of Negro soldiers were the 92nd and 93 rd Divisions, 
the latter comprising four regiments brigaded with 
the French. It was in these units that the secre- 
taries won deserved praise for their service and 
courage. Airplane raids, bombardments, and burst- 
ing gas shells did not slacken their ardor to follow 
the men wherever they went. 

H. E. Caldwell, with the 369th Regiment, was 
under shell fire longer than any other Negro secre- 
tary. Matthew W. Bullock and Dr. B. N. Murrell 
followed the 369th into the thickest of the fight and 
were with it when it led the allied armies to the 
banks of the Rhine, a position of honor accorded it 
because of its excellent service in the trenches. Of 
Mr. Bullock it was said that when the fight was 
hardest and the soldiers were wounded and dying, 
he was ever with his men encouraging them to press 
forward to victory. Of Dr. Murrell we shall speak 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 99 

again. T. C. Cook, of the 371st Regiment, was cited 
in orders for his bravery in rescuing two wounded 
soldiers exposed in pouring rain and shell fire. He 
succeeded in moving them to a narrow dugout that 
was soon afterwards filled with poisonous gas. In 
attempting to escape, he left the dugout only to fall 
unconscious in the open. On that morning of the 
battle officers and men had entrusted to his care 
335,000 of their savings, which he carried on his back 
as he helped the wounded. When he regained con- 
sciousness in a hospital behind the lines, he found 
that the money had disappeared, but his anxiety 
was relieved when he was informed that the colored 
sergeant-major of the regiment, whom he had re- 
quested to guard the money in case of accident to 
himself, had forwarded it to the Paris office of the 
Y. M. C. A. and that every cent had been safely 
delivered. Of Secretary James G. Wiley of the 
92nd Division Lt. Col. A. E. Deitsch wrote : " Dur- 
ing the occupancy of the Marbache sector, he es- 
tablished an Association in the town of Atton which 
was bombarded daily. Even when the German 
bombardment tore the roof from the building and 
all civilians had left the vicinity, only the soldiers 
necessary for the relaying of supplies and ammuni- 
tion to the front lines remaining, this man held on 
and served the soldiers faithfully." 

Sometimes the Negro secretary served not only 
the men in one camp but in several, even covering 
an area containing as many as 50,000 soldiers. Such 
a worker was J. E. Saddler, who was engaged in the 
Chaumont region. The labor battalions which he 



loo SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

served worked on the roads, at bakeries, rail heads 
and ammunition dumps, often working both day 
and night, one man doing two men's work. At 
first Mr. Saddler went on foot, walking 30 kilometers 
a day, carrying all the supplies he could, and dis- 
tributing them to groups of men doing road work. 
Then he secured a motorcycle, and when that was 
completely used up he obtained a Ford, with the aid 
of which he could reach more men. Sometimes he 
organized schools, offering prizes to induce the men 
to learn to write. Occasionally he conducted spell- 
ing bees, taking the words from the Stars and 
Stripes. He was not a preacher, but some Sundays 
he held as many as seven services. Dr. Murrell 
served in the Verdun region where thousands of men 
were engaged in salvaging and in burying the 
American dead. He, like Mr. Saddler, traveled 
about in a truck with supplies. At Romagne, the 
site of the Argonne cemetery, he and his staff did 
excellent work. Two huts were constructed from 
sheet iron taken from German dugouts. At night 
these were so crowded that one could hardly move 
about in them. The men wrote letters, played 
games, or gathered around the piano ; they also 
had daily shows, athletic contests, and the canteen 
was excellent. All such service was of great value 
in building up the morale of the men and in reliev- 
ing them from the depressing effects of the grewsome 
work they were called on to perform. At Liffol le 
Grand, M. R. Atwell had a hut which was attractively 
whitewashed and painted inside. Pictures of Negro 
officers and nurses were on the walls, and gener- 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS loi 

ally the work ranked with the most efficient In 
France. 

After the Armistice a splendid piece of work was 
done for the soldiers at Issurtille by W. W. Wait- 
neight, a white secretary, who in the beginning was 
opposed to working with colored men. In the early 
days of the camp these soldiers were not permitted 
to visit the " Y " buildings, and no other place of 
recreation was provided for them. Finally a cap- 
tain, moved by the situation, asked for volunteers 
to help erect a building. The " Y " furnished the 
lumber, some of the engineer regiments supplied 
foremen, and the soldiers. Including forty me- 
chanics, undertook to do the work. The site se- 
lected was in a bottom where the entire camp 
drained, and at times the water was six inches deep 
on the floor. In such an environment there was 
little enthusiasm on the part of white secretaries 
to undertake the work ; but the one who did found 
the greater joy in the hearty appreciation of the 
men. Two thousand were in nightly attendance, 
and from three thousand to thirty-five hundred were 
served daily in the " Y " and in the wet canteen. 
The work developed until It became the most popular 
in the camp, and the secretary who at first doubted, 
learned to love the men and to work untiringly for 
them. At Gierve, a white Baptist minister, Mr. 
Rankin, served Negro soldiers In a spacious and 
well equipped hut, and he also endeared himself to 
the men. 

At the biggest base ports in France — Bordeaux, 
St. Nazaire, and Brest — the Y. M. C. A. did a 



102 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

wonderful work. For months there were 20,000 
Negro soldiers at Bordeaux alone, doing stevedore 
work. Some of the first colored secretaries sent to 
France went to this city during the period of active 
fighting. They and the army officers did not work 
harmoniously together, and after some stormy days 
they were ordered to Paris with recommendations 
to Y. M. C. A. headquarters that they be sent to 
America. After investigation, however, they were 
sent to other fields of labor, but meanwhile Negro 
secretaries in New York, about to sail for France, 
were detained for months. The situation was finally 
adjusted and two other men, B. F. Seldon and A. W. 
Shockley, who went to Bordeaux, successfully co- 
operated with the officers and worked among the 
white as well as the colored soldiers. At St. Sulpice 
Mr. Seldon had charge of a hut that was well 
equipped, and Mr. Shockley conducted a canteen 
that was said to be one of the cleanest in France. 
Thomas Clayton, another secretary in the Bordeaux 
area, conducted schools for 600 illiterate men. 
Twenty-seven men were sent from the section to the 
universities in France, and thirty were sent to the 
agricultural department at Bonn. At Anconia, also 
in this area, a big hut was in charge of J. M. Price, 
a white secretary who served with colored troops 
from the beginning. This hut had an auditorium 
seating 2000, a spacious sitting-room, a good library, 
and a large room for games. Two shows daily were 
given the 10,000 men. They were encouraged to 
save, and in one month ^22,000 was sent to the 
States. Mr. Price was a Southern man, but he was 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 103 

so much admired by the men and he made such a 
favorable impression on the commanding officers 
that, when the troops sailed for America, he was, 
against the rules of the Y. M. C. A., allowed to sail 
with the men he had served. 

The " Y " at St. Nazaire did one of the biggest 
pieces of work seen anywhere in France. There 
were at times more than 50,000 Negro soldiers at 
this base. The first colored secretary sent to France, 
Franklin W. Nichols, worked here and had the honor 
of building the first hut erected for Negro stevedores 
Other pioneers were Rev. Leroy Ferguson, J. O. 
Wright, William Stevenson, James H. Robinson, R. E. 
Williams, and the three canteen workers who reached 
France before the Armistice, Mrs. Helen Curtis, 
Mrs. Addie W. Hunton, and Miss Kathryn Johnson. 
These workers left splendid records of achievement. 
During the last months at St. Nazaire, Negro soldiers 
were served in four Y. M. C. A. buildings operated 
by Negro secretaries and also in some conducted by 
white secretaries. The huts of the former were 
located at Camps Dodge, Guthrie, Montoir, Lusi- 
tania, and Camp I. That at Lusitania was the 
largest ; it had an auditorium seating 1800. The 
commanding officers co-operated gladly, and the 
divisional secretaries in the area, especially M. B. 
Wallace, showed fine spirit in helping to make the 
work a success. 

During the days of fighting and immediately after 
the Armistice, Negro soldiers at Brest related stories 
of discrimination by the " Y " and of its refusal to 
serve them. In the spring of 1919, however, the 



I04 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

camp commander and the divisional secretary de- 
clared that the men should have a " fifty-fifty " deal. 
The organization conducted altogether fifteen huts 
in Camp Pontenazen, one in Camp President 
Lincoln, and a small room at the sorting yard. 
" Soldiers' Rest " at Camp Pontenazen was especially 
set aside for the Negro soldiers, though all soldiers 
were served there. In March, 1919, B. F. Lee was 
sent to work in this hut. He later became general 
secretary for the building, and four canteen workers 
helped in the last days. In all the other huts at 
Pontenazen Negro soldiers were also served. While 
some canteen women were not enthusiastic about 
assisting them, the divisional secretary, a Tennes- 
seean, tried to give all men equal service, and one 
secretary who refused to serve the Negroes was 
sent back to America. At Camp President Lincoln 
Secretaries Fritz Cansler and Nelson were stationed 
and did some very effective educational work. 
After prayer meetings movies were advertised and 
these always meant a full house. At the sorting 
yard, located on the docks at Brest, a group of 
Negro soldiers ran a kitchen where embarking 
soldiers were fed and where stevedores working on 
the docks got one meal to prevent the necessity of 
returning to camp; they also had a secretary. In 
the city of Brest Negro soldiers were served at both 
the Y. M. C. A. restaurant and the big cafeteria, and 
generally the improvement in the conditions at this 
base accounted for a more favorable impression than 
that borne away from some other places. 

There were many other instances of devoted 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 105 

service. " Y " work was by no means easy. Many 
army officers looked upon any secretary with dis- 
favor. On the other hand, the secretaries them- 
selves were not always infallible, nor were their 
words and actions unerringly discreet. 

Hundreds of entertainers who went overseas 
visited the soldiers in all branches of the service. 
Among these there were no theatrical people of 
color, nor any of the leading singers of the race. 
However, during the last months there was a religious 
entertaining unit composed of Rev. H. H. Proctor, 
who spoke, J. E. Blanton, song leader, and Miss 
Helen Hagan, a noted pianist. These helpers carried 
cheer wherever they went. 

The few Negro women who went to France as 
canteen workers exerted a great influence for good. 
While many officers and secretaries were opposed 
to having women serve the men, their presence was 
like the calming of a great storm. They built up 
the morale instantly, as was noted in every camp to 
which they were sent. Once or twice, as when Mrs. 
Hunton first appeared at St. Nazaire, some of the 
men cried for joy. The men loved, protected, and 
honored these workers for what they represented, 
and one of them said that she had to go to France to 
be truly proud of the fact that she was a Negro 
woman. 

The work of the canteen women received probably 
the greatest praise in the leave areas. This work 
was conducted in the Department of Savoie, among 
beautiful mountains and lakes conducive to rest and 
relaxation ; and Chambery, Challes les Eaux, and 



io6 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

Aix les Bains were the leading cities. Aix les Bains 
is noted for its baths, used by the Romans and 
visited by tourists from all over the world. Cham- 
bery, used as headquarters, is an educational center 
with colleges and art museums. On the outskirts 
of the city overlooking the valley below is the home 
of Jean Jacques Rousseau ; and from there one 
might view also the cross of Nivolet and a chain of 
snow-capped Alps. Seven miles away is the famous 
Pass where Hannibal with his army crossed the 
Alps. To this day the road said to have been built 
by him is in perfect condition. To such an environ- 
ment the Negro soldiers came, and they were wel- 
comed by the citizens as men who had helped to 
save their country. They stood in the Pass, viewed 
Lake Bourget below, and the Italian Alps in the 
distance. Here also it was that the secretaries, under 
the direction of William Stevenson and Mrs. Curtis, 
did some of the best work in France. 

Other places of interest visited by the soldiers 
were the St. Bernard's Pass, Mt. Revard, and the 
Church of the Black Madonna. The last place 
was the most interesting of all because of its unusual 
sight. Inside the church is a small figure of the 
Madonna with a black child in her arms. The robes 
are of gold studded with diamonds, and pictures, 
crutches, canes and other tokens of thanks have 
been left here by people who have been blessed and 
healed. Once when the town was destroyed by a 
mountain slide, only the church stood, and the 
presence of the Madonna was thought by the people 
to be responsible for the miraculous escape. Here 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 107 

the Negro soldiers were more than welcome and the 
keepers felt honored by their visits. 

Altogether more than twenty thousand soldiers 
visited this leave area, coming from all parts of 
France. They were selected from the various or- 
ganizations in the A. E. F. and sent for periods of 
from seven to fourteen days. Before they arrived 
some unpleasant propaganda was spread about them, 
but they made a highly favorable impression. The 
" Y " headquarters was a spacious building, splen- 
didly equipped. There were band concerts, and 
on Sunday afternoons there were refreshments in 
the beautiful garden, with representative people 
of the vicinity assisting in the serving. Because of 
the good conduct of the men and the success of the 
secretaries in establishing such fine relations between 
citizens and soldiers, the Governor of Savoie gave 
a farewell reception, including a public meeting in a 
theatre and an entertainment in his own home 
afterwards ; and letters were written by the mayors 
of all three towns and by leading citizens to praise 
the work and to express regret at its closing. 

While thousands of soldiers visited the leave 
areas, tens of thousands went to see Paris the 
Beautiful. Naturally officers and welfare workers 
as well as the men in the ranks desired especially to 
see this great city before returning to America. 
Ordinarily three day leaves were granted, and each 
day in the spring of 1919 brought hundreds of soldiers 
to the city. In order that the limited time might 
mean as much as possible to the men, the Y. M. C. 
A. organized wonderful sight-seeing programs, in- 



io8 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

eluding all the famous places of historic interest. 
With every party there were efficient guides, and the 
Negro soldiers, like all the others, appreciated fully 
and thoroughly enjoyed the never-to-be-forgotten 
experience. 

4: ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

CRITICISM OF THE "Y" 

The work of the Y. M. C. A. in American camps 
was so conducted that it met with comparatively 
little criticism. Headquarters could be easily 
reached for the adjustment of any question arising 
over the Negro, and during the war public sentiment 
was more decidedly against discrimination than in 
peace time. Such matters as arose generally grew 
out of the attitude or action of individual wearers 
of the red triangle. At Camp Greene, Charlotte, 
N. C, for instance, there were 10,000 Negro soldiers. 
Five " Y " buildings in the camp were located in 
areas allotted to these men, but in no case were they 
allowed to use the buildings except possibly for 
stamps and paper. A sign over one read " This 
building is for white men only," and the secretary 
placed outside the building a table that colored men 
might use in writing letters. In Camp Lee, Peters- 
burg, Va., a prayer meeting was conducted in an 
area where Negro soldiers were located, but a soldier 
with a rifle on his shoulder was doing guard duty, 
pacing in a circle around the group to see that no 
Negroes attended. The comments made by the 
Negro soldiers under the circumstances were interest- 
ing. In some camps the soldiers of both races used 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 109 

the same building, playing games together, attend- 
ing the same picture shows, sometimes playing in 
the same orchestra, and even writing letters for one 
another. Such friendly contact was looked upon with 
disfavor by some secretaries, and they introduced 
discriminatory measures, which naturally led to 
friction. 

It was from overseas, however, that the severest 
criticism of the organization came. During the 
spring of 1919, in every shipment of soldiers that 
landed on American shores there were those who 
denounced the " Y " for something it had or had not 
done. The Negro soldiers did their share of the 
criticising in spite of the fact that the organization 
had done much to help them. Why, then, did they 
criticise it ? 

First of all, the " Y " appeared to have no definite 
policy regarding Negro soldiers in France. En- 
deavor was left mainly in the hands of divisional or 
regional directors, and these men inaugurated such 
policies as they thought best, and a most careful 
investigation indicates that some secretaries resorted 
to discrimination and segregation more than the 
men in any other organization and even more than 
the army with its military caste. Sometimes such 
an attitude was assumed even by ministers of the 
gospel. The general situation was described, very 
accurately, by one regional secretary as follows: 
" About 25 per cent of the white secretaries served 
the colored soldiers gladly, about 25 per cent served 
them half-heartedly, and about 50 per cent either 
refused to serve them or made them feel they were 



no SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

not wanted." When soldiers were building the 
Pershing Stadium for the allied games, the " Y " 
served for months all the men in the order in which 
they appeared for service. One day a young South- 
ern woman was sent out as a canteen worker. The 
soldiers lined up as formerly. All went well until a 
colored soldier in the line was reached. The young 
woman asked him to get out of the line. He said 
he was an American soldier and would not get out of 
the line. Thereupon she closed the canteen. A 
noted divine from Atlanta, Ga., was for a time in 
charge of one of the three-day conferences for new 
secretaries in France. At the close of one of the 
sessions a colored canteen worker told him she had 
enjoyed the discussion. " I am glad you enjoyed it," 
he said, " but we don't mix in the States and you 
must not expect to here." All such incidents could 
be multiplied hundreds of times, and because of them 
there grew up in the hearts of the Negro soldiers a 
contempt for the general organization that made 
such things possible. 

An interesting sidelight was afforded by the fate 
of what was known as the " Honey Bee Club." A 
Negro soldier who was sentenced to death, just a 
few days before his execution asked a " Y " secretary 
at Brest to come and pray with him. After four days 
of struggle with the soldier and himself, the secretary 
felt that he too was changed and should work in 
some large way for the good of the Negro men. He 
began with prayer-meetings among small groups that 
had been somewhat neglected, and at one such 
meeting he told the story of the Honey Bee that 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS in 

was busy and successful and another about birds 
that preyed on the undesirable things of the world. 
Using with telling effect the lesson drawn from the 
experience of the soldier who paid with his life for 
the undesirable, he asked, " How many of you would 
like to be the Honey Bee ? " All responded with 
raised hands. Soon afterwards he was given per- 
mission by the Paris office to devote all his time to the 
organization of Honey Bee clubs. When it became 
known, however, that membership was to be limited 
to Negro soldiers, opposition developed. The col- 
ored men felt that if the club was capable of doing 
so much for them, white soldiers in France should 
not be denied a share in its blessings. The original 
idea was undoubtedly to help the Negro soldier in 
France, but the method by which the idea was de- 
veloped did not meet with approval, and accordingly, 
in most cases, it was either opposed or treated with 
indifference. 

In spite of all the criticism, however, the fact 
remains that the Young Men's Christian Association 
did more for the recreation, entertainment, and edu- 
cational development of Negro soldiers than any 
other welfare organization in the course of the war. 
Through its agency thousands of men learned to 
read and write. Moreover, it is to be remembered 
that it was the " Y " that sent Negro welfare workers 
to France, including nineteen women for canteen 
work, while other organizations faltered. Such effort 
did not materialize without hard work on the part 
of the Negro people and their friends. However, it 
did materialize, and the Negro workers were a credit 



112 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

both to the organization and to their race. In a 
talk to a number of them at a banquet in Paris, E. C. 
Carter, head of the Y. M. C. A. overseas, said in 
summing up their work : " No group of secretaries 
has been more successful, nor has any work been 
on a higher leveL I have been impressed most by 
your spirit. Sometimes you have met with diffi- 
culties and have been insulted by workers with the 
red triangle on their arms, but through it all you 
have shown the spirit of true greatness as did the 
Master." 

■I" ^ T» •!■ ^ n* T^ 

During the World War not only the Y. M. C. A. 
but other leading religious and social organizations 
in America aided the War Department in providing 
for the welfare of the soldiers, both inside and out- 
side the camps. We may now consider briefly the 
Salvation Army, the Knights of Columbus, the large 
agencies within the army itself, passing on to War 
Camp Community Service, the Red Cross, and also 
to some consideration of what was done by the 
Negro Church and the Federal Council of Churches. 

SALVATION ARMY 

The Salvation Army did little or no work for 
Negro soldiers in American camps, but when the 
men returned from France they spoke about the 
service the organization had rendered with an ap- 
preciation akin to reverence. This agency did not 
have great buildings and hundreds of workers dis- 
tributed throughout the camps, but it did have here 
and there faithful representatives imbued with the 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 113 

spirit of service. One of its largest huts was at St. 
Nazaire, and here the relation between men of 
different races was of the most cordial sort. The 
Salvation Army workers stated that on no occasion 
had there been any trouble, and this example well 
illustrates their spirit and it explains the deep ap- 
preciation that the Negro soldiers had for their 
organization. 

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 

The Knights of Columbus erected their first build- 
ing for Negro soldiers at Camp Funston, Kan. 
This was opened on December 1, 1917, with Clar- 
ence Guillot as executive secretary and two as- 
sistants. Religious services were conducted every 
Sunday for the four hundred Catholics in the camp, 
with communion every Sunday morning. One of the 
two chaplains was always available for consultation, 
there were excellent library facilities, and also special 
effort for recreation. In Camps Taylor, Dodge, 
Meade, and Beauregard (at Alexandria, La.) build- 
ings were also provided. At Camps Dodge and 
Beauregard white secretaries were in charge, while at 
Taylor and Meade Negro secretaries conducted the 
work. The building at Dodge was visited by both 
white and colored soldiers, and the kindliest feeling 
was maintained. At Beauregard a mess hall was 
renovated and attractively furnished for the large 
Catholic element there. The building at Camp 
Taylor, which was beautifully furnished and ade- 
quately equipped, was first used by white soldiers, 
but when they left the camp and Negro soldiers 
were moved into the area, it was turned over to them. 



114 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

At Meade there was a small but attractive portable 
building. The work was similar to that at Camp 
Funston. Not all secretaries were in sympathy 
with the liberal policy that seemed to be intended 
by the organization, but those who were not were 
sometimes transferred. 

The Knights of Columbus had a small building for 
Negro soldiers at Tours, and there was also special 
provision at Romagne, where the soldiers were re- 
burying the dead. After a tent was erected and 
supplied with tobacco, chocolate, gum, packages of 
cakes, stationery, and other such things, the secre- 
tary came to the Y. M. C. A. hut and addressed 
the soldiers, informing them that the K. C. tent had 
been erected and that to it they were very welcome. 
The next moring a hundred white and colored soldiers 
were in line at it receiving supplies. When the 
camp commander instituted a policy of segregation, 
the K. C. was compelled to adopt it or leave camp. 
It chose the former course and put up signs ac- 
cordingly. When these signs appeared some of the 
soldiers pulled them off and pulled down the tent, 
and there was a riot. 

The Knights of Columbus were criticised for the 
procedure at Romagne, which was contrary to the 
general belief as to the policy of the organization. 
As has been shown, however, while only a small 
number of Negro secretaries were employed and in 
only a few camps was there any special effort to serve 
Negro soldiers, they were generally admitted to 
K. C. buildings and in general the organization 
impressed them by its catholicity of spirit. 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 115 

AGENCIES IN THE ARMY 

In addition to the work of the welfare organiza- 
tions in the camps, the Army also contributed some- 
thing to the pleasure of the soldiers by providing 
for athletics and socials. Holidays were usually 
given on Wednesdays, Saturday afternoons, and 
Sundays, though in the non-combatant units these 
were not always observed. In the combatant units 
where athletic officers were selected, there was com- 
petition in baseball, basket-ball, or football, and 
occasionally a track meet was held. For the most 
part, however, organized eifort in athletics was 
hardly ever successfully carried out among Negro 
soldiers, largely because of the failure of the officers 
to realize the need. There were, however, excep- 
tions. An enviable record was made by the steve- 
dore team at Camp Alexander, Newport News, 
which defeated all the teams, white or colored, in 
the various camps on the lower peninsula of Vir- 
ginia. One of the best examples of athletic com- 
petition in non-combatant units was seen in the depot 
brigades at Camp Gordon, Atlanta, Ga. Three 
fields were provided for the men and the teams were 
well equipped by their organizations with suits and 
materials. During the baseball season two scheduled 
games were played each week. The two battalions 
represented, which formed and marched to the 
field, always furnished an enthusiastic crowd. Games 
were also played with the colleges and the Federal 
Prison team in Atlanta, and there was a big field and 
track meet. They also had representation in the 
Camp Gordon meet. In another camp a regimental 



ii6 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

cross-country run of two miles was held. One 
hundred and thirty-five men entered and one hun- 
dred and twenty-six finished. Boxing was also a 
source of recreation, and in some camps men were 
selected for a special class. These later became in- 
instructors. Boxing contests and exhibitions were 
held each week, and in some of the stevedore regi- 
ments " battles royal " were conducted. Wrestling 
was also introduced, but it was not as popular as 
boxing and did not receive much encouragement. 

In Western and Southern camps only a small 
number of Negro soldiers frequented the Liberty 
theatres and Y. M. C. A. auditoriums. In the South 
they were not always permitted to attend. In 
some places they built their own amusement houses 
and furnished their own entertainment, as at Camp 
Travis, Texas. Here there was a minstrel troup 
composed of exceptional talent, most of the men 
having been stars in the profession before being 
drafted into the army. They gave weekly shows 
in the camp, and during the warm weather they 
played in an open air theatre on the hillside, with 
thousands of white and Negro soldiers attending. 
They also played in the city theatre in San Antonio, 
as well as elsewhere in Texas ; and they were ac- 
companied by a forty-piece band which was con- 
sidered the finest in the camp. One tangible result 
of the work of these entertainers was the erection of 
a beautiful recreation house at a cost of 36000 with 
funds raised entirely by their work. 

Two other notable examples where provision was 
made for the recreation and entertainment of Negro 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 117 

soldiers were found in the 92nd Division. One was 
at Camp Funston and the other at Camp Upton. 
The theatre at Camp Funston was first planned for 
the soldiers of the 89th Division, who already had 
three theatres and a moving-picture show. General 
Ballou accordingly used his influence to have the 
new one erected for the use of the headquarters 
section of the 92nd Division, and the money for the 
material was furnished by the Government. The 
soldiers furnished the labor, with the exception of 
a foreman, an expert carpenter, and some interior 
finishers. The building was wired by a master elec- 
trician, who was drafted from St. Louis; it seated 
more than 2500 ; and it was the most beautiful and 
conveniently arranged theatre seen in the camps. 
The " Buffalo " auditorium at Camp Upton was 
built by the soldiers of the 367th Regiment, with the 
assistance of friends. It was designed for both in- 
struction and recreation. The total cost was ^40,000. 
Of this amount the officers and men subscribed more 
than 314,000, and they conducted a campaign to 
raise the balance in New York City. Within the 
building there was everything from religious ser- 
vices and lectures to preliminary instruction in the 
use of the bayonet, moving-pictures and vaudeville. 
This auditorium was a great factor in building up 
the fine esprit de corps of the " Buifalo " regiment ; 
and the three outstanding examples which we have 
recorded are representative of what was done with 
the co-operation of officers in the different camps for 
the recreation and entertainment of the Negro 
soldiers. 



ii8 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

NEGRO CHAPLAINS 

It mattered not how ignorant a Negro soldier was, 
or how difficult his life had been, he believed in God 
and in the efficacy of prayer. There was something 
about his religion that was satisfying and genuine, 
and no one could attend his services and hear him 
sing and pray without being touched. In writing 
to his family and friends he usually asked for their 
prayers. "Tell them all to pray for me and that I 
am trusting in the Lord," said one in dictating a 
letter, and another : " Tell them not to worry about 
me now. I am happy and contented. I have 
prayed constantly and have now no fear of death. 
Whatever happens will be all right. Tell them to 
pray for me." On one Sunday night at Camp 
Jackson several white soldiers came into one of the 
religious services at the colored " Y," and they 
joined heartily in the singing. After the meeting 
they told the secretary that they were leaving for 
France the next morning and had come to the meet- 
ing in order to get a little nearer to God. 

Such being the general situation, importance at- 
tached to the man who became the religious guide 
in time of stress. The average minister was hardly 
adapted to the work of chaplain, because his ex- 
perience had not prepared him to have an understand- 
ing and appreciation of the problems of the men in 
the new situation. Some who were fitted were 
pastors of leading churches and in most cases it was 
impossible for them to get a leave of absence. Be- 
sides the difficulty of securing competent men, there 
was also opposition on the part of many officers to 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 119 

having Negro chaplains in their organizations. When 
the efforts of the Federal Council of Churches re- 
sulted in increasing the number, they found diffi- 
culty in serving the Negro men because several of 
them were kept in one camp and often in one or- 
ganization. At Camp Meade, for instance, at one 
time there were three Negro chaplains in the 1st 
Development Battalion. When this battalion was 
disbanded in December, 1918, two of the chaplains 
were assigned to the 4th Battalion, where there 
were already one Negro and two white chaplains. 
At Camp Travis three Negro chaplains were found 
serving one organization, and at both Camps Taylor 
and Sherman there were several chaplains with a 
small number of soldiers. At the same time there 
were throughout the South Negro organizations 
without any chaplain at all, except a machine-gun 
group at Camp Hancock and a part of the 157th 
Development Battalion at Camp McClellan, which 
units were served respectively by a white and a 
colored chaplain. 

The work of the chaplains who remained in the 
States consisted in conducting religious services and 
in educational work, visiting the sick in the hospitals, 
aiding the soldiers in securing their allotments and 
allowances, and often adjusting difficulties. A num- 
ber of white chaplains served Negro soldiers, es- 
pecially in the labor organizations and in one in- 
stance in a fighting unit, the 371st Infantry. Many 
of these men were sincere and conscientious, yet they 
were not able to influence the men to any great 
extent. One said that he felt the soldiers would 



I20 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

rather have one of their own race for a religious leader. 
At first the soldiers would not go to him with their 
difficulties, but as he worked among them they 
came to have more confidence in him, and a few 
began to seek his aid in the matter of securing their 
allotments and allowances. His most effective work, 
however, was in conducting schools for the illiterate. 
In general it was not impossible for the white chap- 
lain to enter into the life of the Negro soldier, if he 
dealt with him as man to man and was a living 
example of his teachings. 

To be a Negro, however, was by no means the only 
requisite of a successful chaplain for Negro troops. 
Personality and moral force also counted. Because 
care was not exercised at first in the selections for 
Negro soldiers, a great opportunity was lost to serve 
them in their darkest hours, when both physical 
and moral dangers surrounded them. Some workers, 
however, won the hearty commendation of both 
officers and men. Whether in America or in France, 
they gave of themselves freely for their com- 
rades. Such a man was Allen O. Newman of the 
366th Infantry. Soon after joining his regiment 
he won his way to the hearts of the men by his 
genuine appreciation of their difficulties. When 
they were in training at Camp Dodge he became one 
of them. He ate with some company daily and 
afterwards gave a short talk on patriotism or mo- 
rality. He was also regimental song leader. A 
chorus of two hundred and fifty men that he de- 
veloped gave several concerts in the city of Des 
Moines. Chaplain Newman accompanied his regi- 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 121 

ment through France, and in the front line trenches 
he visited and comforted them constantly. Chap- 
lain H. M. Collins, who served the stevedore or- 
ganizations at Camp Williams, Issurtille, was a 
genuine " big brother " to his men. The com- 
mander, in speaking of his work, said that he had 
been the greatest factor in helping to better con- 
ditions in the camp. He remained until the last 
Negro soldier started for America. Altogether the 
sixty Negro chaplains who served during the war 
made a real contribution in building up the morale, 
the morality, and the loyalty of the Negro soldier. 

BASE HOSPITALS 

In the National Army cantonments there were at 
times from 40,000 to 60,000 men. As a part of the 
equipment of these camps great base hospitals were 
erected and supplied with the most modern improve- 
ments. Negro soldiers shared with others the bless- 
ings of wonderful discoveries in surgery and pre- 
ventive medicine. Even in camps where living 
conditions were unsatisfactory, in the base hospitals 
they were well treated. Sometimes, as at Camp 
McClellan at Anniston, there was such a marked 
difference within the hospital from the general 
situation in the camp, that the men asked questions 
in their wonderment. Of course there were ex- 
ceptions, but whether in the North, the South, the 
East, or the West, there was usually to be found 
among the doctors and nurses the spirit of the Great 
Physician and the desire to heal all men. 



122 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

RED CROSS. NEGRO NURSES 
When American men were called to service, 
women throughout the country enrolled as Red 
Cross members and worked for the organization 
in various ways, rendering every service that would 
make life more comfortable for the soldiers. They 
not only served as nurses but also as canteen workers ; 
and they knitted, sewed, and made bandages. 
Hundreds of qualified and registered Negro nurses 
gladly offered themselves for service. The Red 
Cross appeared to be willing to use these nurses 
and at times greatly needed them, but for some 
reason it was difficult for them actually to enroll 
for service. Considerable correspondence with refer- 
ence to the matter passed through the office of the 
Special Assistant to the Secretary of War, and at 
last, after the Armistice was signed, some Negro 
nurses served at Camps Grant and Sherman. The 
first five called by the Red Cross were on duty in 
Washington at the time, but on two hours' notice 
they were traveling to Camp Stuart, Newport News, 
where they were put on duty in the base hospital 
to serve four weeks as a trial. They had every con- 
sideration an,d courtesy, and the commanding officer 
said of them that he had never had more competent 
nurses and that their conduct was above reproach. 
After this trial at Newport News, four more were 
added and all were sent to the base hospital at Camp 
Sherman, where they were provided with a modern 
home. They worked in the wards on both day and 
night duty with the white nurses and served all the 
soldiers, and because of their efficiency they won the 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 123 

respect of all. Colored nurses were assigned to 
Camp Grant where they made a similar record. 

Important in this general connection is the matter 
of the general relation of Negro women throughout 
the country to Red Cross work. In the North and 
West they joined the organization and worked in 
more or less complete harmony ; but in the South 
they had difficulty in becoming members. Yet it 
was in the South that their services were most needed. 
The whole matter Is important as a study in effort 
toward racial co-operation, and we shall refer to the 
experience of three representative cities. 

In Atlanta the colored people were willing to work, 
because there were thousands of Negro soldiers at 
Camp Gordon, some of whom were their sons. 
Several attempts were made at first to work, but the 
Atlanta chapter assumed an attitude of aloofness. 
When the Red Cross launched its campaign in 
October, 1917, the Negro people were not asked 
to take part until only two days were left. They 
objected at first but finally decided to do what they 
could in the remaining two days. A committee of 
the most Influential men was formed and this raised 
3400. They also contributed eight dozen sheets and 
eight dozen pillow cases. The money was turned 
over to the Atlanta chapter, with the names of all 
persons who contributed a dollar, the understanding 
being that this would go as membership fees in the 
branch which they would be allowed to form. They 
elected temporary officers and applied to the presi- 
dent of the Atlanta chapter for the complete or- 
ganization of a branch, but were met by a policy of 



124 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

evasion. Meanwhile the women were eager to do 
knitting for the soldiers and they secured some 
yarn ; but the next morning the young woman who 
recieved the yarn was called up over the telephone 
and asked to return the wool she had received, as 
the Red Cross was " not giving wool to new or- 
ganizations." Further effort on the part of the 
colored people at length brought forth a formal 
letter giving them authority to establish a branch, 
but because of certain conditions specified in the 
letter and the previous attitude of the chapter in 
Atlanta, the Negro people in this city did not finally 
co-operate in any large measure. 

The attitude of the Red Cross in Little Rock was 
in the beginning similar to that of the Atlanta 
chapter, but there was a feeling on the part of some 
of the white people that they should utilize the 
efforts of the Negroes because they represented so 
large a part of their total strength. W. H. Holt, a 
representative citizen, believed that some satis- 
factory adjustment could be made and took charge 
of a campaign to raise 3 15, 000 among the colored 
people. Instead of ^15,000, 322,000 was raised. 
This result changed the situation entirely. The 
Negro branch was immediately recognized and 
rooms were opened in the county courthouse in 
which various kinds of Red Cross work was done by 
the colored women. 

Very different was the case in Greenville, S. C, 
where was found the most liberal attitude in any 
Southern city. The Negro women were organized 
in a branch and did the same work as that done by 



the: "Y" and other organizations 125 

the members of the white branches. They made 
comfort-kits for every drafted man sent from Green- 
ville, as well as other articles desired by the Red 
Cross, and they gave 3100 to the Y. M. C. A. for the 
South Carolina boys at Camp Jackson. They were 
enthusiastic about the work. The fine spirit of co- 
operation shown in Greenville was due in large meas- 
ure to the attitude of Mrs. W. G. Sirrine, chairman of 
the local chapter, who believed heartily in the as- 
sistance of the Negro women and finally said of 
them, " They have responded to every call." In 
general the work at this place was an example of 
what was possible in teamwork between the races 
when there was hearty ,good will and when all were 
striving for a common cause. 

In every cantonment city in the South toward the 
end of the war there was some form of co-operation 
between the Red Cross and the colored women. 
The organization often aided the families of Negro 
soldiers when they were in need, as was necessary 
in the case of the soldiers at Camp Knox near Louis- 
ville, Ky. The service records of more than a 
hundred men were lost. Although they had been 
in the army for months, their families had not re- 
ceived a cent of their allotments or allowances. The 
Red Cross representative in Louisville took up the 
matter with the commanding officer, and he saw that 
the claims were paid immediately. This was only 
one of thousands of cases of such assistance. 

RED CROSS CANTEEN SERVICE 

Over 65,000 women enrolled in the seven hundred 
American Red Cross canteens. This service con- 



126 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

sisted of canteen kitchens, medical supplies, and 
small transfer hospitals. It was organized to stimu- 
late the morale of the soldiers and to make them 
feel that the people of the country appreciated the 
loyal manner in which they had responded to the 
country's call. In some of the chapters there were 
organized Negro canteen auxiliaries, and these did 
very effective work in such centers as Hamlet, N. C, 
Greenville, S. C, Montgomery, Ala., and New 
Orleans. At first there was some objection to the 
wearing of the uniform by Negro women, but in the 
centers mentioned they wore it and did regular work 
for the soldiers passing through on the trains. At 
Montgomery there was a canteen room at the station 
for colored soldiers, and in New Orleans there was 
a well equipped auxiliary with headquarters on the 
ground floor of the Pythian Temple owned by 
Negroes. In the beginning it was said in some 
places that the canteen workers failed to serve 
Negro soldiers, and to some extent this was true, 
but it was by no means the rule. The policy was to 
render service to all officers and enlisted men with- 
out distinction. On one occasion six hundred Negro 
soldiers stopped at a town in Arkansas. They had 
come direct from the farms in Louisiana, and were 
timid and uncertain when they arrived, biit they 
felt very different when they left. As the local 
paper said, " The interest shown in them here made 
new and fighting men out of them. It will be a long 
time before the American Red Cross will perform a 
better service, or one that gives the good women, 
both white and colored, more pleasure." Another 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 127 

time, as a train stopped at the station in Charlotte, 
N. C, a canteen worker came to a car window and 
asked the Negro soldier in the car to have a cup of 
coffee and a sandwich. He refused at first, but she 
insisted, passing the refreshments to him, and as 
the train pulled out she uttered a hearty " Good 
luck!" and "God bless you!" 

Not only in America but in France also the Red 
Cross served these men. At Thiaucourt the canteen 
was in charge of a young woman who gave away 
large quantities of supplies, such as towels, summer 
underwear, shaving sticks, razor blades, gum and 
chocolate. In this instance the Negro soldiers 
shared almost entirely in the generosity, but this 
was only one of many, many cases of whole-hearted 
and highly appreciated service. 

WAR CAMP COMMUNITY SERVICE 

Raymond B. Fosdick, chairman of the Committee 
on Training Camp Activities, said in writing about 
the work of the Commission : " It is our task, in 
the first place, to see that the inside of the sixty-odd 
army camps furnish real amusement and recreation 
and social life. In the second place, we are to see 
to it that the towns and cities near by the camps are 
organized to provide recreation and social life to the 
soldiers who flock there when on leave. The 
Government will give the men while they train every 
possible opportunity for education, amusement, and 
social life." 

Negro soldiers were a part of the army fpr whom 
recreation was an essential. In most places, however, 



128 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

the pool rooms and the ice cream and soft drink 
parlors very frequently were but meeting-places for 
the soldiers and girls, and the boarding and rooming 
houses were especially questionable. Public dance 
halls were hardly ever adequately supervised. In 
Charlotte, for instance, where two public halls were 
conducted, the most popular one was open and 
crowded every night. A policeman acted as door- 
keeper and received all tickets. Little effort was 
made to control the conduct and none to supervise 
dancing. 

The War Camp Community Service came into 
being to organize the social and recreational facilities 
of the communities adjacent to the training camps 
and to furnish the best possible places for the soldiers 
in their free time. City organizations were impressed 
with their responsibility for showing genuine hos- 
pitality to the men, and invariably they co-operated. 
In the beginning there was very little eifort to pro- 
vide centers for Negro soldiers. Within the first 
seven months that Negro soldiers were in the camps 
in only one city did the War Camp Community 
Service make provision for their entertainment. 
In May, 1918, however, eight clubs were opened in 
different cities, and in all cases these were the best 
places that provided wholesome amusement, and 
usually the only available places. 

While discussion was going on as to whether Negro 
soldiers would be permanent and whether it was 
necessary to establish clubs for them, R. B. Patin, 
executive secretary of the War Camp Community 
Service at Des Moines, established the first club 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 129 

for Negro soldiers. The Lincoln School, a large 
three-story building, was secured by the Community 
Service and the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, 
and Herbert R. Wright, a lawyer and former consul 
of the United States In Honduras and Venezuela, 
was placed In charge of the club, which had a spacious 
reading-room, well supplied with writing materials, 
and a music room with piano, victrola, and numerous 
records. There was also an up-to-date cafeteria, 
as well as a bootblack parlor and a well conducted 
pool room. Citizens were Invited to the band con- 
certs In the auditorium, as well as to the socials of 
the various companies In the 366th Infantry. 

Two of the largest community centers for Negro 
soldiers were located at Washington, D. C, and 
Baltimore, Md. During the summer of 1918 a well 
equipped " Soldiers' Club " was established in Wash- 
ington ; it was conducted by J. B. Ramsey and the 
co-operation of the community was more eifective 
than in any other center visited by the writer. Some 
form of entertainment was given practically every 
evening by club or church organizations ; on Sun- 
days many wounded soldiers at the Walter Reed 
Hospital were taken to church and then to dinner ; 
and on Christmas Day, 1918, and New Year's Day, 
1919, there was very special hospitality and enter- 
tainment. The center in Baltimore was opened 
July 20, 1918, and was in charge of Dr. W. H. Weaver, 
a Presbyterian minister. The club was visited by 
soldiers from Camp Meade, Camp Holabird, Curtis 
Bay, the Canton warehouses, and Edgewood, and 
its chief feature was Its sleeping-quarters accommo- 



I30 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

dating two hundred men. For these the fee was 
25 cents a night and they were the most attractive 
found in any center for Negro soldiers. The men at 
Camp Upton had access to the recreational facilities 
of New York, and while a club was established for 
them in Harlem, they did not depend upon the 
community center as in most other places. At 
Camp Devens in Massachusetts the soldiers' clubs 
were open to all men in uniform irrespective of race. 

So much has been said about racial goodwill in 
Virginia that it was surprising that there should be 
in this state in the beginning an indifference that 
was very close to opposition to the establishing of 
clubs for Negro soldiers. After the first eight months 
of war, however, the need became so urgent that 
clubs were established at Petersburg and Richmond 
for the soldiers at Camp Lee, at Alexandria for those 
at Camp Humphrey, and at Norfolk, Portsmouth, 
Newport News, and Hampton for the sailors and 
soldiers in the various camps and training stations 
on the Lower Peninsula. At Petersburg, on account 
of the opposition of the local ministers, dancing was 
not included as a part of the club entertainment. At 
Alexandria an Odd Fellows Hall, owned by Negroes, 
was donated to the Community Service without rent. 
The first club erected at Newport News proving 
altogether inadequate, eighteen city lots were pur- 
chased and a new building costing 325,000 erected. 
A staff of six secretaries was employed. To furnish 
the building at Hampton, Negro citizens raised 
31,000, an effective program being carried out under 
the direction of Miss Elizabeth Martin. The sue- 



THE *'Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 131 

cess of the work in Newport News and Hampton 
was largely due to the sincere effort of J. L. Einstein, 
director of community work on the Lower Peninsula. 
In Columbia, S. C, community work was in- 
fluenced by local sentiment and it was more than a 
year before a club was provided for Negro soldiers. 
At Spartanburg and Greenville there were small 
clubs which were principally bureaus of information, 
and at Greenville the colored committee especially 
opposed dancing. At Charlotte, where a hotel was 
renovated and made into an attractive club, the 
Negro ministers gave their moral support, and clubs 
of colored women aided greatly. In Atlanta it was 
said that the Negro soldiers were not " stationary 
enough " for a club, though thousands of them were 
constantly at Camp Gordon during the first year of 
the war. It was necessary at length for the War 
Department to intervene on behalf of the men and a 
club was finally established November 15, 1918, after 
fifteen months of waiting. When it was established 
the colored committee objected to dancing, pool 
and card playing, thus eliminating the forms of 
recreation that the soldiers especially enjoyed. In 
Augusta, near Camp Hancock, more than 33,000 
was spent in renovating a two-story hall, and the 
club was in charge of a liberal Baptist minister. Rev. 
R, J. McCain. At Macon, near Camp Wheeler, 
club rooms were secured in the Pythian Temple. 
At Anniston, near Camp McClellan, the man em- 
ployed as janitor was expected to do the executive 
work and very little was done by way of carrying 
out a constructive program. At Hattiesburg, Miss., 



132 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

a committee of Negro men raised 3100, rented and 
furnished a small rest room for the Negro soldiers 
when they were first sent to Camp Shelby ; later 
the War Camp Community Service renovated the 
Masonic Hall with two floors and attractively fur- 
nished it as a club. At Alexandria, La., near Camp 
Beauregard, a club was opened in the Masonic Hall 
and repaired by the Community Service at a cost of 
31,000. At Little Rock the club was in the Taborian 
Hall, a modern, well located building. The Negro 
citizens paid the rent of 310 a month, while the Com- 
munity Service equipped the room. A soldier from 
Camp Pike was in charge. Effective work was not 
done at this center because of lack of co-operation 
with the citizens. The state of Texas was generally 
behind others in the work. At Camp Logan, Hous- 
ton, Camp MacArthur, Waco, and Camp Bowie, 
Fort Worth, there were no centers. 35,000 was 
placed in the budget at Fort Worth for a club, but 
it was cut out entirely, and the Negro people felt 
keenly the attitude toward Negro soldiers after they 
had contributed generously toward the various 
" drives " for the war. At Camp Travis in San 
Antonio, after eight months had passed, the Negro 
citizens purchased a site and gave it to the War De- 
partment for as long a time as it might be needed. 
The War Camp Community Service appropriated 
310,000, and a building was opened at Christmas, 
1918. When this was no longer needed for war 
work, it was turned over to the colored people and 
used as a public library. 

All told this work gave to many Negro people a 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 133 

new conception of well organized and supervised 
recreation for the young people. Scores of men and 
women were employed as secretaries and tens of 
thousands of dollars spent in promoting the work. 
Realizing that the development of recreation centers 
for Negro girls was a part of the bigger problem 
from the standpoint of the soldiers, the War Camp 
Community Service did not confine its activities to 
maintaining clubs for soldiers but also established 
centers where there were persons who gave their 
entire time to girls. In the cantonment cities the 
young women were organized into patriotic leagues 
and clubs, and these co-operated with the soldiers 
in giving entertainments and socials, and in those 
cities where the work for girls was most active there 
it was that Community Service as a whole was most 
successful. When the first soldiers' club was 
equipped at Des Moines, one of the chief factors 
contributing to its success was the organization also 
of four girls' clubs with a total membership of one 
hundred and thirty. There was a chaperone for 
each club ; gymnasium classes met twice a week> 
and at the close a demonstration in folk games was 
given. At Chillicothe the club room was located 
under an Episcopal mission and was beautifully 
furnished. In Baltimore the whole effort was 
handled with unusual success, and no young woman 
was admitted to the parties without a card from the 
hostesses. The work in these three places was 
typical. Sometimes employment departments and 
classes in cooking and sewing were conducted. All 
such effort gave the young women better protection 



134 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

and at the same time afforded them social contact 
in a wholesome environment. It also gave to the 
different communities a deeper sense of responsibility 
for the welfare of the Negro girl. 

THE NEGRO CHURCH 

In the cantonment cities, especially in the South, 
there were numerous representative Negro churches. 
A few of these had adequate facilities for the enter- 
tainment of soldiers, but many were too poorly 
located or equipped to conduct social centers. The 
ministers' unions or alliances always endorsed the 
war work for the soldiers, but rarely was there or- 
ganized effort on the part of the churches. On one 
occasion in Columbia, S. C, the ministers' alliance 
assumed responsibility for the money contributed 
by the citizens for a flag presented to the 371st 
Infantry. Some important factors contributed to 
the general situation. In many cases at the be- 
ginning the welfare agencies in the cantonment 
cities showed a tendency to ignore the Negro citizens. 
Another difficulty was found in the uncertainty as 
to the soldiers' presence. Numerous cases occurred 
where elaborate arrangements were made for the 
men and they did not arrive at all. In such a case 
of course either the church or the camp authorities 
had failed to do what was necessary for the most 
complete co-operation. Sometimes when rest rooms 
were provided by the churches, the soldiers were 
not enthusiastic about them because of the limita- 
tions placed upon them. Excellent concerts and 
well ordered socials were sometimes given by the 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 135 

churches, however, and soldiers were frequently in- 
vited to dinner at the homes of members of con- 
gregations after the Sunday services. 

The best co-operation in any cantonment city 
between the Negro churches and the camp au- 
thorities was probably that in Atlanta. The Con- 
gregational church here had a spacious basement, 
a good library and a well equipped gymnasium, and 
a trained worker organized and worked with the 
girls' clubs. A special Sunday afternoon service 
was held and after this there were refreshments. 
Other large churches in Atlanta were also active. 
San Antonio followed closely in such endeavor ; 
and in Augusta, Ga., one church sent a wagon load 
of watermelons to the soldiers, and another twenty 
gallons of ice cream. In all the cantonment cities 
ministers from the various churches preached in 
the camps and they often took with them their church 
choirs. Some of the national religious bodies sent 
camp pastors to the soldiers, and these men some- 
times spent as much as three days a week addressing 
those in uniform and visiting the hospitals. 

FEDERAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES 

The General Wartime Commission of the Churches 
was constituted by the Federal Council of the 
Churches of Christ in America soon after the nation 
entered the war. This commission was composed 
of more than a hundred men chosen from the different 
religious bodies which were dealing with the problems 
raised by the war, and its activities were conducted 
through committees charged with specific phases of 



136 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

war work. Reports of conditions in the camps led 
to the Appointment of a Committee on the Welfare 
of Negro troops. This consisted of Bishop Wilbur P. 
Thirkield, chairman, George Foster Peabody, Dr. 
R. R. Moton, Dr. James H. Dillard, J. R. Hawkins, 
Thomas Jesse Jones, Rev. M. Ashby Jones, Bishop 
R. E. Jones, Robert E. Speer, Rev. Henry A. At- 
kinson, Rev. W. H. Jernagin, and Rev. Gaylord S. 
White. 

In order that the Committee might have definite 
information for its work, two Negro men, Charles 
H. Williams and Rev. G. Lake Imes, were appointed 
as field secretaries. Of their work Dr. Thomas 
Jesse Jones, executive secretary of the committee, 
wrote as follows : " One of these, financed by the 
Phelps-Stokes Fund, made careful observations of 
conditions in and about the cantonments where 
colored soldiers were located. The reports prepared 
by this worker showed such a thoroughness in ascer- 
taining the truth and such a constructive point of 
view in the recommendations made as to win the 
cordial approval of the War Department and all 
the agencies co-operating in the care of the soldiers. 
The second worker devoted his time to the study of 
the churches in their relations to colored soldiers. 
On the basis of these observations he assisted the 
churches to plan their activities so as to be of real 
help to the soldiers in the community." The reports 
of the field secretaries were sent direct to the War 
Department and on the basis of them conferences 
were held with the Secretary of War and the various 
welfare organizations. It was in this connection 



THE "Y" AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 137 

that the Special Assistant to the Secretary of War, 
Dr. Emmett J. Scott, labored unceasingly to remove 
discrimination and adjust difficulties. Members of 
the committee, though in an unofficial capacity, 
often assisted directly. Bishop Thirkield visited 
various camps and cantonment cities and conferred 
with army officers, chambers of commerce, and 
Rotary clubs, always with a view to improving con- 
ditions. Mr. Peabody on a number of occasions 
went to Washington and conferred with the Presi- 
dent and the Secretary of War with reference to 
the Negro soldiers. In a most uncompromising 
manner he always advocated a square deal. Dr. 
Moton was frequently called into conference with 
President Wilson and Secretary Baker and was also 
asked to go to France to investigate the situation 
when damaging reports had been spread in both 
America and France with reference to the conduct 
of Negro officers and soldiers. Dr. Jones was also 
called into conference and toward the close of the 
war went to France under the auspices of the Y. M. 
C. A. 

Thus, while there were many difficulties and an 
enormous amount of work to be done in the different 
welfare agencies — whether the Y. M. C. A., the 
Red Cross, the Community Service, or some other 
— there were loyal souls who were laboring un- 
ceasingly for the comfort of the Negro soldier and 
also for the final consummation of victory for the 
great cause in which all were engaged. 



CHAPTER VII 

THE STEVEDORE 

T TERY early in the war it was found that there 
^ was a serious shortage of common labor in the 
American army. France was unable to supply her 
own needs, and therefore not at all able to assist 
her allies. To supply the American need for com 
mon labor Negroes were suggested, G. K. Little, 
assistant engineer at Mobile, Ala., writing to the 
chief engineer that they were " loyal and willing 
to obey all orders irrespective of weather conditions 
or other hardships " and generally " pecuHarly 
desirable." It was the plan of these engineer ser- 
vice battalions to work wherever they could help 
and to do whatever was necessary. Forty-six such 
battalions were formed. The first four consisted 
of white men and the others of Negroes. 

The stevedores represent that part of an army 
about which little is said because it does the rough, 
unskilled work ; yet no group renders a more 
valiant service or contributes more to the success of 
an army than do these men. 

This was especially true of the 150,000 Negro 
stevedores in the Great War, who played an im- 
portant part both at home and abroad. Included 
in the term were the engineer regiments, the depot 

138 



THE STEVEDORE 139 

brigades, and the service, labor, and development 
battalions. Some oiBcials have said that the Negro 
stevedore rendered the most magnificent service 
of any Negro organizations in France. Their work 
was undoubtedly appreciated by the War Depart- 
ment and by most citizens ; yet honors were not con- 
ferred upon them as upon the fighting men. No 
brass bands came out to greet them on their return. 
Few had opportunities to win the Croix de Guerre 
or the Distinguished Service Cross, although they 
often performed deeds of bravery while working be- 
hind the lines in the range of the big guns. 

Unfortunately the term " stevedores " came to 
mean to many people those who were physically 
or mentally unfit to be fighting men and they were 
looked upon as inferior to other soldiers. Sometimes 
this was true, but it is also true that there were 
thousands of stevedores who represented the best 
of the young manhood of America. In the begin- 
ning of the draft hundreds of Negro men who met 
all the physical qualifications could not meet the 
educational tests. Such men were usually trans- 
ferred to stevedore organizations, and the rate of 
illiteracy in these ran from 35 to 75 per cent. Some- 
times also those who because of physical unfitness 
were only partially able to serve their country when it 
needed them, nevertheless rendered some valuable 
service in American camps. Such a company was 
the 402nd Reserve Labor Battalion, stationed at 
Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga. This was located 
fifteen miles from the camp in a wood, where it built 
roads and also kept in condition the range for the 



I40 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

officers and men being trained for the battle fronts 
in France. 

The question naturally arises how it happened 
that some of the best of the Negro youth were placed 
in the stevedore regiments. In the beginning there 
was great need for men to do the manual work con- 
nected with supplying with food and equipment 
two million soldiers in France. The Negro was re- 
garded by many army officials as specially adapted 
to this work because of his previous training and his 
cheerful disposition ; and for one reason or another 
some other officials deemed it advisable to withhold 
from him regular military training. Accordingly, 
in the fall of 1917, colored draftees and volunteers 
were sent to various assembling camps and formed 
into stevedore and labor units. Thousands from 
the Southern states, many of them students in the 
schools and colleges, rushed to the colors with the 
hope of entering combatant units, only to find, to 
their great disappointment, that they had been as- 
signed to service regiments. 

The work in the United States varied with the 
different camps. Sometimes it was the handling of 
supplies or ammunition. Then again it was grading, 
ditching, digging stumps, cleaning up new ground for 
building purposes, or draining camps. The men 
did every form of fatigue work and sometimes built 
roads along with civilians who received 33.50 or 
34.00 a day. Those who remained in the United 
States did not, as a rule, experience as hard a life 
as their comrades in France. Living conditions in 
the cantonments were usually very good, even in the 



THE STEVEDORE 141 

tent camps after the necessary improvements had 
been made. Sometimes it happened that the steve- 
dore was neglected in the beginning, especially if 
he was placed in a camp apart from the other soldiers. 
Such was the case at Camp Hill, Newport News, in 
the winter of 1917-18. In the coldest weather ex- 
perienced in this part of the country in a quarter 
of a century, the stevedores lived in tents without 
floors or stoves. Most of them could get only one 
blanket and some could not secure even that. 
Twenty to thirty occupied one tent 16 feet square. 
Often men reaching the camp in zero weather were 
compelled to stand around a fire outside all night or 
sleep under trees for partial shelter from the wind, 
rain, and snow. For four months no bathing 
facilities or changes of clothing were provided. 
Food was served outdoors and often froze before it 
could be eaten. After inspectors and other investi- 
gators constantly reported these conditions they 
were changed. Comfortable barracks and mess halls 
were built, a Y. M. C. A. building and a hostess 
house erected, and the name of the camp was changed 
from Hill to Alexander in honor of one of the three 
Negro lieutenants who had been graduated from 
West Point. Not only in this camp, but in every 
other where unsatisfactory conditions prevailed, im- 
provements were gradually made until, at the end of 
the war, most of the stevedores in American camps 
were living in comfortable surroundings. 

The stevedore units were commanded almost en- 
tirely by white commissioned officers, with white 
sergeants and colored corporals. In some engineer 



142 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

units all the non-commissioned officers were white, 
though in rare cases they were all colored. The 
work of the Negro stevedore in the American Ex- 
peditionary Force was considered of prime im- 
portance. He was among the first to sail for France, 
and among the very first was a group of one hundred 
men from New Orleans. They and those who fol- 
lowed them were to be found at the base ports of 
Brest, St. Nazaire, Bordeaux, Marseilles, and Le 
Havre, and at such railheads as Tours, Liffol-le- 
Grand, Gierve, St. Sulpice, Chaumont, and other 
such centers. The largest of these ports was Brest, 
and here the men did more work than anywhere 
else. They handled all kinds of supplies at the 
docks, coaled ships, and helped to build piers and 
docks. They labored night and day, sometimes 
continuously for sixteen hours. Although they 
worked in the rain and snow, it was only after months 
had passed that they were provided with oil-skin 
suits and gum boots. One high officer said, " The 
men who worked on these docks have had the hardest 
job of any men in France, but their spirit has been 
fine." In the " Race to Berlin " the Brest port won 
the championship, a company of the 310th Service 
Battalion winning the honor of having done more 
work than any similar outfit in France. As a reward 
it was sent back to the States earlier than would 
otherwise have been the case. 

The St. Nazaire base was the second largest port. 
Numerous camps were located outside the city, 
extending as far as fifteen kilometers. Twenty-eight 
miles of warehouses were constructed at Montois 



THE STEVEDORE 143 

and filled with supplies of every description, while 
outside there were railroad engines, cars, and vast 
quantities of construction material. St. Nazaire 
was also a huge embarkation port. At times more 
than 50,000 colored soldiers were stationed in this 
vicinity. The long pier extending a mile out into 
the water was built almost exclusively by the 317th 
Engineers, The task was very dangerous, as the 
men had to work standing on slippery boards, but 
it was finally completed and stood as a memorial 
to the Negro soldiers. Camp Guthrie was built 
entirely by Negro men. They composed the per- 
sonnel and ran the big troop kitchens, the delousing 
plants, the ofiicers' mess halls, and the infirmaries. 
Here, as at Brest, the hardest work on the docks 
was done exclusively by Negro soldiers. This in- 
cluded coaling ships and unloading supplies of all 
kinds, including railroad engines and tractors. Dur- 
ing the " Race to Berlin " new port records for un- 
loading ships were made weekly. The men some- 
times " worked like mad men," having received 
the impression that they were going home as soon 
as the armistice was signed. Badges were given to 
those who got the most work done, and the base 
port winning the week's competition flew a flag for 
the next week. In addition to the work on the docks, 
the soldiers built and repaired roads, built railroads, 
warehouses, a round house, a water-filtering plant, 
and did general fatigue duty. In referring to what 
they accomplished a major said, " It has been no 
hero service, but has been hard, long, and faithful, 
and it is appreciated. These men have handled 



144 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

30,000 tons of material in one day." Another 
officer said, " Many colored soldiers are sleeping in 
the little graveyard on the hill because they broke 
their heartstrings in the ' Race to Berlin.' " 

Bordeaux was the third of the large ports. In 
the camps outside the city as many as fifty thousand 
soldiers were stationed at times. At St. Sulpice in the 
Bordeaux area the American army built and filled 
with provisions and munitions about one hundred 
warehouses. At two camps on the outskirts of the 
city, Anconia and Bassens, twenty thousand Negro 
soldiers were stationed for months, handling cargoes 
day and night. Many of them worked sixteen 
hours a day and rarely ever saw the camp in 
the daytime, as they went to and from work in the 
dark. 

The work at the other base ports was similar, 
though on a smaller scale. Sometimes hundreds of 
miles of railroad track had to be laid or great steel 
warehouses erected. Gierve was outstanding as a 
center for such work, as it was the largest supply 
depot in France. Warehouses here covered an 
area seven miles long and three miles wide. There 
were always some Negro units stationed at this 
place, along with white units which did stevedore 
work. The two organizations which served at 
Gierve for the longest period were the 313th and 
328th Negro labor battalions. At Liffol-le-Grand, 
near Chaumont, the headquarters of the commander- 
in-chief of the American Army, there was another 
large supply depot. Here the Negro engineers 
drained and cleared a swamp, laid miles of railroad 



THE STEVEDORE 145 

track, and helped to build a large round house and 
several warehouses. 

The stevedores were the great roadbuilders in 
France. Thousands also worked in the great forests, 
cutting wood, peeling trees, and laboring in the saw- 
mills. In the Forestry Division at Jironde they 
made an average of peeling 35 trees a day per man, 
while the average of other engineers were only 15 
trees. Nazareth Thaggard of the 323rd Service 
Battalion made the highest record of any man in the 
A. E. F. by cutting 30 steres of wood in one day. 
The task for his company was five steres. For this 
notable achievement he was given a twenty-day 
pass to travel over France and made a corporal in 
his organization. The 320th Engineers cut and 
Carried wood for a mile and a half on their backs. 
The men in the 332nd Labor Battalion, stationed 
at Brion, cut six steres of wood as a daily task. 
They cut 1500 steres at Jerocho and 5400 at Comercy. 
The woodcutters lived in floorless tents often sur- 
rounded by mud. Many times the necessary cloth- 
ing and boots could not be secured, and sometimes 
they were obliged to eat in the rain and snow. Dr. 
Hope, of whom we have spoken as at the head of 
Y. M. C. A. work for Negro soldiers in France, said 
in speaking of a visit to the woodcutters : " One 
night I went in a car fifteen miles out in a wood with 
a chaplain who came to a small French town to buy 
' smokes ' for the men. When we reached the camp 
it was dark. Lights were seen in the narrow streets 
and mud deeper than I had ever seen before. In the 
morning the men got up at 4.45. The sound they 



146 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

made walking through the mud was unlike any noise 
that I had ever heard. Even at that early hour 
some were joking, some singing." The record of 
almost every organization cutting wood shows that 
the men endured great suffering, and the Negro's 
sense of humor was a great asset to him. Said one 
private who served with the 323rd service battalion : 
" We have come in wet to the skin, with our boots 
half full of water. Some would go to a stove and get 
warm, some would sing, some play cards. Others 
would walk five miles for French bread and butter 
and eggs that they would cook in their mess-kits. 
Some would laugh and be happy, while others beside 
them would die." 

After peace was declared and the American army 
started home, there remained still much work to be 
done " over there." The heroes who fell at Chateau 
Thierry, Amiens, St. Mihiel, in Belleau Wood and 
the Argonne Forest deserved a suitable resting- 
place. The work of reburying the dead was done 
almost exclusively by the Negro stevedores. Daily 
convoys of trucks went as far as a hundred kilo- 
meters, and men searched the fields, forests, and shell 
holes for the dead, who were brought to the ceme- 
teries and reinterred. This was the most ghastly 
and gruesome task in the A. E. F. ; yet the way the 
Negroes worked may be judged from the fact that at 
Romagne, where the largest American cemetery is 
located, 1038 and 1050 soldiers were reburied in two 
successive days. The nature of the work required 
that much of it be done after midnight when most 
of the men were asleep. One could hear the sound 



THE STEVEDORE 147 

of the hammer and the tread of feet, and the lonely 
minor chord of the Negroes' song as they drove nails 
into the coffins. The electric lights all over the 
cemeteries at night showed these men moving about 
without the traditional fear attributed to them. 
Theirs was no enviable task, but no group of men 
ever displayed finer spirit in the performance of duty, 
and no soldiers more loyally served the republic. 

With all of their good service, however, the steve- 
dore organizations were not popular with the Negro 
soldiers. One reason for this was the lack of oppor- 
tunity in them for promotion. One incident will 
illustrate the situation. A colonel who was or- 
ganizing one of these regiments out of recently 
drafted men, in an attempt to stir up enthusiasm, 
said, " Men, we are going overseas in two weeks. 
We are going to see the country and have some fun. 
You'll probably never hear a gun fired." There 
was no applause, and the colonel seemed not to 
realize that the lack of it was due to the fact that the 
men not only wanted to hear guns fired but wanted 
to fire some themselves. Continuing, he said, " This 
is the first opportunity Negroes ever had to serve 
as engineers. It is all an experiment. It's up to 
you men to make good." After concluding his re- 
marks he asked if there were any questions. " Sir, 
Colonel, what about promotions ?" asked one 
man. This turn rather surprised the officer, but he 
recovered and said, " The officers will be white." 
A moment later he added, " The non-commissioned 
officers will also be white." Then he paused, and 



148 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

the soldier repeated the question. The colonel then 
said, " There will be twenty-five first-class privates, 
who will carry rifles, and you know they get three 
dollars a month more pay. You know cooks are 
needed. A lot of men will want that job, but it 

takes a good man to be a cook." The silence 

which greeted this remark indicated great dis- 
appointment on the part of the men. Seeing this, 
the colonel tried to hold out some hope by saying 
that some non-commissioned officers would be made 
in France when new organizations were formed. As 
a matter of fact, as the war progressed, many ap- 
pointments as non-commissioned officers were made, 
the commanders of Negro soldiers ultimately realiz- 
ing that they as well as other soldiers were prompted 
to do better work when there were even remote 
possibilities of securing promotions. 

The kind of treatment accorded the men was due 
almost entirely to the attitude of the officers who 
immediately commanded them. In some organiza- 
tions commanding officers were more like foremen 
and overseers over railroad gangs and plantation 
workers than like officers in command of American 
soldiers. Very frequently little interest was taken 
in the personal appearance of the men, and military 
law was practically disregarded in dealing with 
them. One commander did not hesitate to say 
that if the men did not move as he thought they 
should, he helped them with his foot, and the soldiers 
were placed in the guardhouse on the most trivial 
pretense. " The spirit of St. Nazaire," said one 
officer, " is the spirit of the South," and in the early 



THE STEVEDORE 149 

days of this great camp there were constant clashes 
caused by racial feeling and by drinking. There 
were several colored French women at this base. 
White officers and soldiers were frequently seen with 
them, but if a Negro was seen with a white French 
woman a good deal was likely to be said, and trouble 
was generally started by the marines. Discrimina- 
tory orders were often issued, and stevedores ex- 
perienced difficulties in visiting cafes and other 
public places. Sometimes they were also forbidden 
to enter French homes or to be seen in company with 
French civilians. With the military police there 
was special trouble, as the men received the im- 
pression that they made a special effort to use their 
authority to abuse Negro soldiers. Sometimes they 
conducted an " era of ruthlessness," and many of 
the fights and " near riots " were due to such efforts. 
In the railway terminal in one cantonment city, 
when large numbers of soldiers were returning to 
camp, every Negro was required to show his pass, 
but the passes of the white men were not required. 
This sort of thing made for friction, as did also the 
manner in which the soldiers were often approached 
by the M. P.'s. 

On the other hand, the Negro soldiers themselves 
were not without faults. Some of their difficulties 
were due to their own ignorance and to customs that 
they brought into the army from civil life. On 
plantations and public works some had been used to 
" ducking the boss " and slipping away, and attempts 
to continue this practice in the army sometimes re- 
sulted in their being placed in the guardhouse. 



ISO SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

In such a situation it is pleasant to recall that two 
junior officers in one organization were always work- 
ing in the interest of the men and heartily disapproved 
of the treatment they received. In their camp 
discriminatory orders were not issued. While more- 
over some of the roughest treatment given the steve- 
dores was by Southern officers, it is also true that some 
of the best and fairest officers commanding Negro 
troops were Southern men. Such officers saw that 
their men were well equipped, if it was possible to 
equip them, and provided for their recreation by 
organizing athletic teams and by giving full co- 
operation to the "Y" in its program. The 313th 
Labor Battalion was commanded by such an officer 
in France and its fine record was largely due to his 
impartial attitude. For the 542nd Engineers, one 
of whose companies worked on the roads in the 
Remaucourt region in France, there was built a 
little auditorium. This was wired by one of the 
officers, and the scenery for the shows was painted 
by one of the men. There were pictures every 
night and people from the village near by were free 
to attend. One of the men, Frank Johnson, won 
the middleweight championship of the S. O. S. and 
his only defeat was at the hands of the French 
champion. That the stevedores appreciated their 
commanders in such organizations was shown by 
the fact that when they sailed for America they often 
presented to them gifts costing hundreds of francs. 

The story of one camp will serve to illustrate both 
types of officers that commanded Negro troops. 
Camp Williams, located at Issurtille, was the second 



THE STEVEDORE 151 

largest supply depot in France. During the last 
days of the war 12,000 Negro soldiers, mainly 
engineers and stevedores, were stationed there. 
They built warehouses and railroads and supplied 
the combat troops with wood, food, clothing, medicine 
and shells and ammunition of all kinds. The camp 
adjutant said that they did their work without 
grumbling. The non-commissioned officers were 
both white and colored, mainly white. Very often 
they were ignorant men. Illiterate Negro men were 
often selected in preference to educated men and 
sometimes v/ere made to serve as " stool pigeons." 
For nine months at this camp there was in force a 
special order bearing date July 3, 1918, which said : 
" All colored enlisted men of this command are 
hereby confined to the limits of the Camp and Depot 
until further advised." The enforcing of this order 
was a great cause of trouble. When white troops 
were permitted to visit not only Issurtille but all 
the surrounding towns, many of the colored men 
broke the rules and left the camp without passes ; 
this brought them into conflict with the M. P.'s, 
and ended by their being placed in the guardhouse. 
On arresting the men the M. P.'s frequently cursed 
them and on the slightest provocation threatened 
to use revolvers. Conditions finally made necessary 
a change in the camp commander. Colonel S. V. 
Ham, a regular army officer who had been wounded 
twice at the front, assumed command. He found a 
filthy camp with practically no morale. Segregation 
was everywhere and prejudice was intense. At once 
he issued the following order : " The restrictions 



IS2 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

against visiting towns in this district by colored 
troops are hereby removed until further notice. It 
is the desire of the Commanding Officer to place 
the colored troops on the same status as the white 
troops." This was dated March 26, 1919. Colonel 
Ham also issued an order forbidding the use of the 
word " nigger " in the camp. All officers attended 
officers' meetings when they were held ; previously 
colored officers never went, for they did not know 
when the meetings were to be held. Lectures were 
given on the treatment of the soldiers ; military 
discipline was enforced in the case of both officers 
and men ; and the Colonel himself pulled down some 
of the discriminatory signs. The result was that 
within three weeks the number of men in the guard- 
house was reduced from three hundred to fifty ; 
sometimes several days would pass without a man's 
being placed there. Complaints were reduced 60 
per cent within the first week. Interesting also is 
the fact that the rate of venereal disease in the camp 
was also lowered. The general attitude of Colonel 
Ham changed the spirit of both officers and men, 
and before long the feeling of racial antagonism gave 
way to one of comradeship. 

PIONEER INFANTRY ORGANIZATIONS 

There were fourteen other organizations in France, 
known as Pioneer Infantry Regiments, which did 
mainly stevedore work. These were composed 
largely of men who were drafted during the summer 
of 1918 and who were given from one to three months 
of intensive military training in American camps and 



THE STEVEDORE 153 

then sent overseas. The commissioned officers were 
white, and the enlisted personnel colored. In France 
a small number of colored dental officers, chaplains, 
and band leaders were assigned in some of the regi- 
ments. It appears that the idea of the War De- 
partment in forming these organizations was to have 
men trained to fight, if needed, and also to have 
sufficient men to do the work necessary for the 
maintenance of a big army. 

Most of the regiments reached France during the 
months of September and October, 1918, and con- 
sequently did no actual fighting. They worked in 
the S. O. S. and in the advanced section, sometimes 
in the back area of shell fire, and in a few instances 
near the front lines. Their work consisted of road 
building, assistance at the base ports, salvaging the 
battlefields, demunition and demolition work, and 
the building of ammunition dumps with material 
moved from the battlefields to the roads and then 
to central stations. The removing of ammunition 
after the Chateau Thierry drive was so satisfactorily 
done that Lt. Col. Ord, chief ammunition officer of 
the S. O. S., wrote a letter in which he said : " These 
two depots were transformed from a heterogeneous 
pile to this remarkable condition in seven days, and 
I desire to compliment the officers and twenty-six 
men who went from these headquarters as well as 
the 801st Pioneer Infantry for this remarkable 
achievement." 

Before the Armistice several regiments worked 
behind the front lines In the Argonne Forest and 
at St. Mihiel, where they built narrow- and wide- 



154 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

gauge railroads and macadam roads for the move- 
ment of light and heavy artillery and supplies. It 
was also the task of some to bury the dead, working 
under shell fire. Sometimes bombs dropped among 
them, killing and wounding them ; but because of 
their late arrival in France they did not work long 
in such danger. After the Armistice some did guard 
duty, looking after the German prisoners. Com- 
panies of the 806th and 811th Pioneer Infantry 
regiments did a part of the concrete and grading work 
for the Pershing Stadium, the 3100,000 structure 
erected by the Y. M. C. A. for the inter-allied games 
held in July, 1919. 

While the Pioneer Infantry regiments and the 
stevedores did the same kind of work for the most 
part, the former received the better treatment, as 
their officers generally insisted on a square deal for 
their men. In one battalion the major, an Ala- 
bamian, discouraged segregation by removing all 
objectionable signs, and he made no effort to pre- 
vent his men from associating with respectable 
French people. The commander of the 815th Pi- 
oneer Infantry regiment gave wholesome lectures 
to his men as a means of education and encourage- 
ment. These organizations also, with few excep- 
tions, were liberal in granting leaves and in issuing 
week-end passes, and some of the men were sent to 
the universities in France when the A. E. F. con- 
ducted its great educational program. 

Most of the regiments had good bands, minstrel 
shows, and baseball teams. The 807th Pioneer In- 
fantry Band of fifty-two pieces was removed from 



THE STEVEDORE 155 

its organization for several months and stationed 
with General Liggett of the First Army Corps, being 
called the First Army Post Band. The 806th 
Pioneer Infantry Band played at the Columbus 
Stadium in Paris, giving daily concerts during the 
A. E. F. try-outs for the inter-allied meet. The 
baseball team of the 809th was the most notable 
Negro team in France. It won the championship 
of the St. Nazaire base and finished third in the 
A. E. F. league. The umpires in the league were 
fair in all the games. 

The Pioneer Infantry organizations proved a 
disappointment to many of the soldiers in them 
because, as one officer said, " they did everything 
the infantry was too proud to do and the engineers 
too lazy to do." However, they did splendid work 
and returned to America with a record of honorable 
achievement. 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 

MpHE Ninety-second Division gave to the Negroes 
-*- of the United States the opportunity which 
they had long desired, namely, organization into 
fighting units commanded largely by Negro men. 
In its creation Negroes were drafted from all sec- 
tions of the country and from all walks of life. The 
largest group of Negro officers ever commissioned 
served with this division, which was not trained in 
one camp, as was true with other divisions in the 
National Army, but whose various units were dis- 
tributed among seven camps, extending from Camp 
Funston, Kan., to Camp Upton, N. Y. The units 
were stationed as follows : 

Division Headquarters 1 

Headquarters Troops > Camp Funston 

Divisional Trains ) 

365th Infantry Camp Grant 

366th Infantry Camp Dodge 

367th Infantry Camp Upton 

368th Infantry Camp Meade 

349th Field Artillery ) ^ j^j^ 

350th Field Artillery ) 

351st Field Artillery Camp Meade 
349th Machine Gun Battalion Camp Funston 
156 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 157 



350th Machine Gun Battalion Camp Grant 

351st Machine Gun Battalion Camp Upton 

317th Engineers Regiment 1 

317th Engineers Train > Camp Sherman 

325th Signal Corps ) 

317th Trench Mortar Battery Camp DIx 



As the headquarters troops, the military police, 
the 317th ammunition, sanitary, and supply trains 
were all organized and trained with the headquarters 
of the Division at Camp Funston, there was great 
enthusiasm for achievement among these troops, and 
an earnest effort was made to have them attain the 
highest possible efficiency. Being close to the in- 
spiration and brains of the Division, they set the 
standard for the other units. By their wonderful 
progress moreover they changed the attitude of the 
camp in regard to Negro soldiers and developed in 
themselves and in their commanding officers greater 
confidence in their ability. 

The infantry regiments were probably the best 
known, not only among the Negro people but in 
Army circles as well. Negroes had made a glorious 
record in this branch of the service and were naturally 
expected to defend that record. The thousands of 
soldiers inducted into the Division, and especially 
those drawn into the four infantry regiments, began 
their training resolved that they would live up to the 
traditions of the past. Every man realized that he 
was representing a confident and loyal people who 
prayed and hoped for the success of the Division, 
who followed every step of its progress, and who re- 
joiced with every victory and sorrowed at every 



158 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

failure. The men were fully conscious of their re- 
sponsibility and began their work with enthusi- 
asm. 

From reveille to retreat the recruits were carried 
through intensive training, which included physical 
exercise, a study of the articles of war, practice 
marching, use of the bayonet, shooting, the use of 
grenades, and signal and semaphore work. Besides 
their program of purely military instruction they 
were given lectures on personal hygiene and first 
aid that prepared them to be not only good soldiers 
but also better men. From five to seven months of 
such training showed wonderful results in every 
regiment. Undeveloped young men from the farms 
and cotton-fields of the South learned to stand erect 
and to walk with a firm step, and they were also 
made to feel that America expected each of them to 
do a man's work. 

So well did Negroes absorb this training that they 
were often considered the best drilled and best disci- 
plined organizations in the camps where they were 
trained. This was said to be true, for instance, of 
the 367th Infantry, commonly known as the " Buffa- 
loes," which was trained at Camp Upton. It pa- 
raded in New York City on Washington's Birthday, 
1918, when it was presented with colors by the 
Union League Club. The 368th was reviewed by 
President Wilson in Baltimore during a Liberty Loan 
drive. At such times the press of the country 
carried articles commending the Negro men for their 
martial appearance and wonderful marching, and this 
praise not only developed a greater pride in them- 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 159 

selves but caused other Americans to recognize their 
real value as soldiers. 

The organization of the 92nd Division made it 
necessary to train Negroes in other branches of 
service than the infantry. The mere suggestion of 
Negro artillery regiments brought laughter from 
some old Army men, and even officers assigned to 
train the soldiers in this branch of the service were 
dubious as to their success. However, three artillery 
regiments were organized and the experiment proved 
a success. After seven months of hard work at 
Camps Dix and Meade these regiments were ready 
to sail to France, where they were to receive ad- 
ditional training before doing combat duty. Special- 
ist details, composed of " non-coms," were given 
intensive training, and before leaving the States 
they were able to calculate firing data, to use the 
various American optical instruments, to connect up 
and use the field telephones, to signal, and to perform 
efficiently the work connected with the occupation 
of a position. 

In the three machine-gun battalions — the 349th, 
350th, and 351st,. trained at Camps Funston, Grant, 
and Upton respectively — it was found that Negroes 
immediately grasped the intricacies of the machine- 
gun and soon excelled in its mechanical manipulation. 
Ignorant men, those unable either to read or to write, 
could take apart and assemble every part of a gun 
to the minutest spring. As in other branches, they 
worked with a will to succeed, and learned map- 
reading, trench-digging, the use of dug-outs, and the 
construction of shafts and camouflaged machine- 



i6o SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

gun emplacements, all of which knowledge was to be 
essential when they met the enemy in France. They 
also mastered the drill and made a splendid record 
on the range. In the Division overseas a machine- 
gun school was also started, in charge of Lieut. 
Benjamin H. Mosby, a Negro officer, one of the main 
objects being to make machine-gun officers out of 
infantry officers. More than two hundred men 
attended this course. 

The organization of the 325th Signal Corps marked 
the first time in the history of the country when 
Negro men were placed in this branch of the service. 
Before the organization of this unit was completed, 
a representative of the War Department visited 
Negro educational institutions and explained the 
qualifications for this branch of the service. As a 
result, men with superior technical and academic 
training were inducted into it. The work was new 
to most of the men, but their training enabled them 
to master it rapidly, so much so that they surprised 
the higher officials. The corps was organized and 
trained at Camp Sherman, and six officers were 
raised from the ranks. The unit boasted of having 
one of the best health records in France; not one 
case of venereal disease was discovered in it. The 
story is told of one man who, though he could 
scarcely write his name when he entered the service, 
was able, at the time of the Armistice, to take 
messages at the rate of twenty-five words a minute. 

The distribution of the troops in the Division 
handicapped the administration somewhat. Orders 
were delayed in transmission, and it was impossible 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION i6i 

to correlate the activities of the several arms of the 
service ; nor could the Division assemble for a re- 
view. The first opportunity the different units had 
of meeting came when they were ordered to join 
the American Army in France and met at Hoboken, 
June 10, 1918, just before sailing. After an exciting 
voyage all the units arrived safely at Brest ; and 
after a short stay at Camp Pontenazen, the head- 
quarters troops and infantry regiments went on to 
Bourbonne-les-Bains, making the four-day trip in 
crowded French box cars. 

Bourbonne-les-Bains is a beautiful old city, lo- 
cated in Haute Marne at the end of a valley en- 
circled by a picturesque chain of hills. The people 
were hospitable and welcomed the soldiers into their 
homes and places of amusement. While the at- 
mosphere was restful, however, the task before the 
Division was eminently serious. Eight weeks of 
intensive training were given in the methods of 
modern warfare, and terrain exercises and tactical 
problems worked out. The men perfected them- 
selves in shooting, in the use of the bayonet and 
grenades, and in signal work and trench-digging. 

The three artillery regiments, comprising the 
167th Field Artillery Brigade, on reaching France 
were stationed at different centers for six weeks of 
intensive training — the 349th and 350th at Mont- 
morillion and the 35 1st at Lathus. Finally the 
brigade was mobilized at La Courtine. Here in- 
struction was given in radio, telephone, and motor 
operations, dug-out construction, gun emplacement, 
and range work. Even after they reached France, 



i62 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

there was still doubt in the minds of some as to 
whether the Negro men would make artillerymen. 
A French officer, however, came to test the barrage 
made by the 350th Artillery, and after it had been 
put over, he jumped up and clapped his hands, say- 
ing that it was the fastest and the most accurate 
he had ever seen put over. In all the training area 
of the 92nd Division unusually fine relations existed 
between the soldiers and the French people. 

INFANTRY ENGAGEMENTS 

From Bourbonne-les-Bains the infantry regiments 
and headquarters troops were moved to Bruyeres, 
and it was here that they heard for the first time the 
roar of the big guns. Here also it was that the Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary 
Forces, General John J. Pershing, first visited the 
division. After spending twelve days in securing 
necessary equipment, all moved to St. Die. Here 
the Americans were welcomed as deliverers. The 
Germans had occupied the city for fourteen days 
in 1914 and because of their treatment the people 
had learned to hate them. The bishop's house and 
the church, more than six hundred years old, were 
used as headquarters. 

Because of the nature of the terrain the St. Die 
sector was usually quiet and for this reason it was 
used for schooling divisions of recruits, who often 
got here their baptism of fire before leaving. There 
was a httle bathing pool in " No Man's Land," and 
it was said that at certain times, by agreement be- 
tween the Germans and the French, each had access 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 163 

to it without being fired upon. The 6th Division of 
the American Army, however, which occupied the 
sector before it was given over to the 92nd, fired on 
every German that ventured forth. When the 
French said that such action would precipitate 
offensive tactics, the Americans insisted that this 
was their purpose. The 92nd Division accordingly 
found the enemy active when it entered the sector. 
While there was no major offensive, raiding parties 
from both sides were frequent and patrol duty was 
very necessary. 

The St. Die sector will always be remembered by 
the men of the 92nd Division because it was there 
that they received their first casualties. The first 
man killed was Private Moses Justice, Company H, 
365th Infantry. He had worked as a farmer and 
enlisted from Marietta, Ohio. While on patrol duty 
September 2, 1918, Second Lieut. Thomas J. Bul- 
lock, Company D, 367th Infantry, was killed, the 
first officer in the division to fall. In this sector the 
Negro soldiers remained until September 21, 1918, 
when they were ordered to the Meuse-Argonne 
region, the 81st Division, known as the " Wildcats," 
relieving the 92nd when it entrained. 

Between September 21 and 23 the 92nd Division 
was carried from the St. Die sector to the Argonne 
region, and by September 24 various units had been 
assigned a place in the big drive scheduled for the 
25th. Headquarters were at Beauchamps Farm and 
Triacourt, and the division was attached to the First 
Army Corps. 

On September 23 the 368th Infantry was assigned 



i64 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

to the 38th French Army Corps, commanded by 
General Durand. It was given a position on the 
right bank of the Aisne, north of Vienne-Le-Chateau 
and La Harozee and 500 meters west of Binarville. 
The Second Battalion of the regiment, which was in 
the front line, on September 26 " reconnoitered the 
enemy trench position opposite it and progressed 
at a slow pace, because of the abundance of wire, 
until the right half had made an advance of three 
kilometers, where it met with strong opposition of 
machine-gun nests." The Third Battalion, accord- 
ing to plan, supported the advance of the second. 
On September 27 both were ordered to attack, the 
objective being the Trench du Dromadaire. The 
Second Battalion progressed two kilometers against 
machine-gun fire and the third reached the enemy 
trench line. On September 28 the objective of the 
two battalions remained unchanged. 

As these two battalions advanced and were sub- 
jected to heavy machine-gun fire and enemy artillery 
barrage, the major commanding the second was 
relieved of duty because of physical exhaustion. The 
Third Battalion was within two hundred meters of 
its objective when, under heavy fire, a portion of the 
line of an advance company broke and withdrew 
to the rear. This company was reorganized and the 
attack was resumed, but again the line broke. In 
spite of the action of some of their comrades, however, 
Capt. R. A. Williams and First Lieut. T. M. Dent 
held their position with the part of the company 
with them until the following day, when they were 
relieved by the 9th Cuirassiers, a French regiment. 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 165 

As to the withdrawals, It was stated by company 
officers that " some one, identity unknown, ordered 
a retreat." Secretary Baker's report on this affair 
said that " there is strongly supported evidence 
that orders from some quarters were carried forward 
by runners directing the withdrawal, although orders 
had been given . . . that no withdrawal order, not 
in writing and signed by the battalion commander, 
should be obeyed. The investigation showed that 
no such written order had been issued." The First 
Battalion, which had been in reserve, was placed 
in the front line to renew the attack. It joined the 
French in the advance on Binarville and progressed 
until the leading company reached and passed by 
200 meters the objective that had been given the 
regiment. The advance covered four and a half 
kilometers and 11 prisoners and 5 machine-guns 
were captured. The total casualties, including killed, 
wounded, and gassed, were 9 officers and 269 enlisted 
men. The commanding officer's report of this 
engagement said that there was insufficient use of 
the infantry rifle. Although machine-guns and 
Stokes mortars were with each battalion ready and 
seeking opportunity for action, the character of the 
terrain prevented their use. This sector, which had 
been held alternately by the French and Germans 
during the war, consisted of a rolling country, cut up 
by ravines and covered with the debris of the Ar- 
gonne Forest, blasted by four years of shell fire ; 
and it was interlaced by solid wire defences of all 
kinds. Col. F. R. Brown, who was in command 
during the engagement, said of the regiment : " It 



i66 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

deserves commendation for successfully performing 
its original mission of liaison between the 38th 
(French) Corps and the 77th Division (U. S.). It 
deserves commendation as a whole for successfully 
advancing as rapidly as did the French units on our 
left, in spite of the many difficulties encountered." 

As a result of the withdrawals of the Third Bat- 
talion of the 368th Infantry during the Argonne 
engagement, rumors spread in both France and 
America that the 92nd Division had been charged 
with' " cowardice before the enemy." So great was 
the confidence of the Negro people in the bravery 
of their soldiers, based upon the deeds of a glorious 
past, that such rumors seemed almost unbelievable ; 
and when the men in other regiments of the division 
heard the reports, many of them begged for an op- 
portunity to go to the front. The final report of the 
Secretary of War, however, somewhat allayed the 
rumors. He said : " The circumstances disclosed 
by a detailed study of the situation do not justify 
many of the highly colored accounts which have been 
given of the behavior of the troops in this action, 
and they afford no basis at all for any of the general 
assumptions with regard to the action of colored 
troops in this battle or elsewhere in France. On the 
contrary, it is to be noted that many colored officers, 
and particularly three in the very battalion here 
under discussion, were decorated with Distinguished 
Service Crosses for extraordinary heroism under 
fire." 

The Division remained in the Argonne until 
October 5, 1918, when it was ordered to the Mar- 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 167 

bache sector, where it remained until the signing of 
the Armistice. It was in this sector that the best 
fighting was done. During the quiet days between 
October 5 and November 8, considerable patrol 
work was carried on. Some of the enemy soldiers 
were killed and others captured, and a number of 
92nd soldiers met a similar fate. Active operations 
began November 8, the 183rd Infantry Brigade hold- 
ing the portion of the Allied line east of the Moselle 
River, extending from Pont-a-Mousson to Mar- 
bache. On the morning of November 10 an attack 
was executed on Bois Frehaut by the Second Bat- 
talion of the 365th Regiment, commanded by Major 
Warner A. Ross. A similar attack was made on 
Bois Voivrotte by two platoons of the Second Bat- 
talion of the 366th Infantry, commanded by Major 
A. E. Sawkins. Each battalion was supported by 
its machine-gun company and had the co-operation 
of the divisional artillery. Trench mortars and 37 
M. M. guns were to support the attack, the object 
being to capture and hold the above named places 
and advance the line of observation in the sector. 
On the afternoon of November 9 the Second Bat- 
talion of the 365th Infantry was placed in Pont-a- 
Mousson and the Second Battalion of the 366th in 
Foret de Facq in preparation for the attack which 
was to be made at 5 a. m. on November 10. The 
hour was changed from 5 to 7 in order that the 92nd 
Division might co-operate with the Second American 
Army, which was to launch its drive at that time. 
By 8.12 a. m. the Second Battalion of the 366th had 
completely occupied Bois Voivrotte and taken three 



i68 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

prisoners, and by 11.45 the Second Battalion of the 
365th completely occupied Bois Frehaut, although 
it had been heavily shelled with gas and high ex- 
plosives. After the first objectives had been suc- 
cessfully reached, reinforcements were brought for- 
ward and a new attack launched on the strong enemy 
positions of Champey, Bouieres, La Cote, and Bois 
Cheminot at 5 a. m. on November 11. The troops 
making the attack were met by the strong artillery, 
machine-gun and infantry fire of the enemy. How- 
ever, by 7.30 they had reached the outskirts of 
Bouxieres and Bois Cheminot. Then a telephone 
message from headquarters, ordering all hostilities 
to cease, stopped the advance of the 92nd Division, 
which was sweeping the enemy before it. The op- 
posing units engaged between the Moselle and 
Seille rivers were the 86th and 30th Regiments of 
infantry, the 31st Landwehr Brigade, and the 47th 
Infantry Regiment. They were supported by one 
battalion of sharpshooters. East of the Seille River 
were the 70th Infantry Regiment and the 6th 
Grenadiers. 

In the report of the commanding general of the 
183rd Infantry Brigade on the offensive operations 
in this sector in the last engagement during the 
Great War, Brig. Gen. Malvern Hill Barnum made" 
the following summary and conclusion : 

" The advance of the brigade in this battle, most of 
which was made on the east banks of the Moselle River 
was sh kilometers. It was against heavy artillery and 
machine-gun fire and high concentration of gas. In order 
to drive the enemy from their strongly fortified positions 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 169 

all forms of auxiliary arms, such as machine-guns, Stokes 
mortars, 37 M. M. guns, and rifle grenades, were effectively 
used against them. The divisional artillery supported 
this attack with a rolling barrage, which was well laid. It 
also placed a heavy concentration fire on German machine- 
gun nests, completely routing the enemy. 

" A great part of this attack was executed over an open, 
sloping terrain, heavily wired, which was completely con- 
trolled by German artillery. The Bois Frehaut and Bois 
Voivrotte were woods protected with heavy German wire 
and were filled with machine-gun nests, trench mortars, 
light artillery, and infantry. The enemy was driven from 
his strongholds with a loss of six prisoners and approxi- 
mately the following material : looo grenades, all types ; 
5000 rounds ammunition ; 25 boxes M. G. ammunition, in 
belts ; 50 rifles and bayonets ; 10 pairs field glasses ; 4 
machine-guns ; 6 carrier pigeons ; i signal lamp and bat- 
tery ; 2 Very pistols ; 3 carbide lamps ; 100 helmets. 
MaAy overcoats, boots, canteens, belts, and other articles 
of equipment were left by the fleeing enemy. 

" In this advance the brigade suffered the following 
casualties in the 365th and 366th Infantry and the 350th 
Machine Gun Battalion : killed, 32 ; wounded, 119 ; 
gassed, 285 ; missing, 8 ; total, 444." 

This attack, on the last two days of the war, was 
made in a sector that had been organized for four 
years. It was in front of the great fortress of Metz 
and was occupied by young, efficient soldiers of the 
most famous military power in the world. Yet 
against this opposition the inexperienced Negro 
troops took complete possession of " No Man's 
Land," constantly remaining on the offensive until 
the enemy had been pushed back three and a half 
kilometers. 

The Congressional Record of February 28, 1919, 



I70 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

contains the following statement concerning the 
First Battalion of the 367th Infantry of the 92nd 
Division : " The entire first battalion of the three 
hundred and sixty-seventh (Buffaloes) Infantry was 
cited for bravery, and awarded the Croix de Guerre, 
thus entitling every officer and man in the battalion 
to wear this distinguished French decoration. This 
citation was made by the French Commission be- 
cause of the splendid service and bravery shown by 
this battalion in the last engagement of the war." 
The writer has been unable to find a copy of the 
citation in the War Department records ; but be- 
cause it did appear in the Congressional Record as 
indicated and also given publicity in the newspapers 
of the country, it is included in the story of the 92nd 
Division. 

ARTILLERY 

The various other units in the Division contributed 
their share toward developing the efficiency which it 
attained. The 167th Field Artillery Brigade sur- 
prised not only old Army officers but Americans 
generally by the ability of the men to absorb train- 
ing, which was fully demonstrated when they forced 
the enemy to retire from strong fortifications held 
for four years. It had been thought that it would 
be difficult, if not impossible, to find Negro men 
with adaptability for this work ; yet sometimes it 
developed that non-commissioned officers were better 
at taking messages than their instructors. The 
most surprising thing about the Negro gunner was 
the rapidity with which he was able to fire. One 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 171 

gun crew in the 349th Artillery fired four rounds in 
61 seconds with the French 75 's, while another crew 
was making four shots in 7| seconds. A striking 
example of the efficiency of the artillery was the 
manner in which it laid down a barrage at Pregny 
for a unit of the 78th Division and its own division 
without endangering the lives of the men in the 
infantry. 

It was during the last days of the war, from No- 
vember 4 to 11, in the fighting around Bois Frehaut,. 
Bois de la Voivrotte, Cheminot, Pagny, and Bois de 
la Cote, that Negro artillerymen did their most 
effective work. At daybreak on November 4 the 
349th laid down a rolling barrage to cover the ad- 
vance on Cheminot of a patrol of the 365th Infantry. 
This was followed by a box barrage continuing nearly 
an hour, during which time 1062 shells were fired. 
On November 6 the regiment was again called upon 
for a rolling barrage through Bois Frehaut and a 
combing fire in Bois Voivrotte, to be followed by a 
standing barrage in front of Champey and Bouxieres. 
Two hundred and fifty rounds were fired in the 
combing fire, and 2033 in the rolling and box barrages. 
The accuracy of the Negro artillerymen reduced the 
resistance of the enemy and enabled the 92nd 
Division infantry to reach its objectives without 
great loss. The action in co-operation with the in- 
fantry was carefully watched by officials, who com- 
mended the brigade on " the good execution of the 
Rolling and Standing Barrage " and also said that 
the good work was being favorably commented on 
by those " higher up." Because of the qualities 



172 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

displayed by both officers and men in this sector, 
General John H. Sherburne, who commanded the 
167th Field Artillery Brigade, commended them in 
orders on November 18, 1918, saying, " You have 
been zealous soldiers and skillful artillerymen. . . . 
By day and night, often under the hail of shrapnel, 
often through clouds of deadly gas, you have marched 
and fought, dragged your guns sometimes by hand 
into line, kept up your lines of communication and 
brought up your supplies, always with a cheerful- 
ness that earned you the admiration of all." Colonel 
Wade H. Carpenter, of the 351st Field Artillery, 
was a West Point graduate and a South Carolinian 
by birth. Although he too had been doubtful of 
success at first, in the end he was no less enthusiastic 
about the achievements of his regiment. Under date 
December 27, 1918, he said to his command : " When 
you landed in France you were acclaimed as comrades 
in arms, brothers in a great cause. In the days that 
have passed no man, no little child, has had cause 
to regret that first glorious welcome. Surrounded 
by new and unusual conditions, beset by subtle 
temptations, you have kept your hearts high and, 
with purpose fixed on the high ideal of service, you 
have put away those things that did not contribute 
strength for the task at hand. You have been 
men. . . . Through rain and in tents or in cold 
billets you have cheerfully pushed on to fit yourself 
for the final test and at length you came to the front 
lines. There, under fire, by day and by night you 
served the pieces, sending back gas for gas and shell 
for shell, two for one. The orders reached the guns 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 173 

because you maintained the connections ; the am- 
munition was there because neither the elements nor 
enemy stopped you. This mission has been accom- 
phshed and you have been what America expects 
her sons to be — brave soldiers." 

In the proposed drive against Metz, which was 
to have been the greatest battle of the entire war, 
the 167th Field Artillery Brigade had been selected 
to support the Second Army, of which the 92nd 
Division was a part. Such confidence on the part 
of the Commander-in-Chief of the A. E. F. clearly 
shows that the Negro artilleryman had proved be- 
yond doubt his ability to become proficient in this 
branch of service. 

This brigade was able to accomplish what it did 
because the men were eager to learn and easily 
disciplined. No task was too dangerous or too 
difficult for them. They kept their lines of com- 
munication intact under all conditions. The six 
colored officers who were graduated at Fort Sill and 
who remained with the brigade throughout the 
campaign in France, greatly contributed to the 
morale and did excellent work in handling and in- 
structing the men. The Negro non-commissioned 
officers were also an important factor. They took 
advantage of their opportunities and made a record 
in the school at La Courtine that was not surpassed 
in excellence by any group from other artillery or- 
ganizations. The officers and enlisted men in this 
brigade were pioneers in a field where success was 
uncertain, but they brought faithfulness and pa- 
triotic fervor to their task, and their record is 



174 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

one that should encourage and inspire all Negro 
people. 

317TH ENGINEER REGIMENT 

The 317th Engineer Regiment was formally or- 
ganized at Camp Sherman on November 4, 1917, as 
the sapper engineer regiment of the 92nd Division. 
Two thousand draftees were turned over to this 
regiment from the 158th Depot Brigade. After 
careful examination 1490 of these men were in- 
ducted into the regiment. This group included a 
large number of men who had knowledge of the 
building trades and also students from well known 
industrial schools. 

After it was decided to organize an engineer regi- 
ment in the 92nd Division, considerable discussion 
arose in the War Department over the question of 
officers to command it. Negro officers who had 
graduated at the training school for infantry in Des 
Moines were suggested, but engineer officials op- 
posed this plan because these men had had no special 
training for the work. Letters in the War Depart- 
ment files pointed out that from 15,000 applicants 
to serve in this branch of the service only one Negro, 
a graduate of Harvard University, had qualified. 
Although it had been found expedient to have trained 
engineers as officers in engineer labor battalions, 
thirty Negro infantry officers with no engineering 
experience were assigned to the 317th Engineers. 
White captains were also assigned to the regiment, 
but were soon transferred and sent to France. Dur- 
ing the winter of 1917-18 a War Department in- 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 175 

spector investigated the organization and reported 
that the Negro officers did not have sufficient 
knowledge and experience to train the regiment, and 
he recommended that they be replaced by white 
officers with engineer training. In March, 1918, 
accordingly white captains replaced the Negro cap- 
tains, but the Negro lieutenants were retained. 

In spite of the unrest caused in the regiment by 
the change in the personnel of the officers, the train- 
ing continued. On June 1 the regiment left Camp 
Sherman for Hoboken, whence it sailed on June 8, 
reaching Brest on the 19th. Thence it was sent to 
the Pontenazen barracks, which consisted of stone 
buildings erected by Napoleon Bonaparte on the 
site of an old Roman camp. Heavy working details, 
comprising 85 per cent of the regiment's strength, 
loaded baggage and constructed roads and barracks. 
On June 25 the regiment left for the Bourbonne-les- 
Bains area, arriving on the night of June 27. Here 
it was given intensive training for four weeks, and 
in the area it constructed mess halls, bath houses, 
warehouses, stables, and railroad yards. 

Additional equipment arrived August 2, ten days 
before the regiment moved into a quiet sector in the 
Vosges Mountains for intensive training around 
Ponseux and Archettes, and on August 20 there was 
further removal to the St. Die sector previously 
occupied by the 7th Engineers of the 5th Division. 
Just before this division left for St. Mihiel, it con- 
ducted several local attacks down the Fave Valley 
and around Frappelle, which were finally captured. 
When then the 317th Engineers began the work of 



176 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

organizing and consolidating the positions left by 
the 5th Division, they found the enemy active. 
They constructed dug-outs, repaired trenches, often 
under shell fire, and mined bridges if these were in 
danger of being captured by the enemy. They also 
worked at logging and sawmill operations in order 
to supply French institutions as well as the fighting 
regiments at the front with firewood. Especially 
courageous was the work of twenty-five enlisted men 
engaged in gas-proofing dug-outs. They worked 
three days and nights under heavy bombardment 
where mustard gas and phosgene were used by the 
enemy, but they continued their labors until all the 
dug-outs were protected. 

On September 24, 1918, the regiment moved into 
the Argonne between Les Islettes and Clermont, 
and was assigned to the First Army Corps. The 
objective of the First Army was to close the Grand 
Pre gap and flank the armies operating against the 
French and British. The bombardment for this 
attack lasted three hours and it was estimated that 
100,000 shells were fired. The American artillery 
averaged a gun every eight meters. After the bom- 
bardment changed to a rolling barrage, the men of 
the 77th, 28th, 35th, 79th, 4th, 80th, and 33rd 
Divisions went over the top in the greatest attack 
ever made by United States forces. In this attack 
one battalion of the 317th Engineers opened the 
road from Neuvilly to Bourielles, cutting it through 
to " No Man's Land " on the night of September 26. 
The 111th Engineers assisted in this work. The 
Second Battalion opened the road from Croix de 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 177 

Pierre and Pierre Croisee, while the Third opened 
the valley road from La Claon to La Harze. In 
many places these roads had been completely ob- 
literated by the heavy artillery fire. The engineers 
had to relocate them, often at night, and rebuild 
them through swamps out of logs and planks in order 
that the wounded might be carried to the rear and 
ammunition carts reach the front. Sometimes they 
used rocks and timbers taken from mined enemy 
trenches and burned buildings. They built light- 
and heavy-gauge railroads for hauling shells to new 
artillery positions on the front, and heavy-gauge 
railroads in the back areas, especially in the vicinity 
of Grand Pre. Throughout this offensive from 
September 26 to November 11 the 317th Engineers 
spent most of the time building roads and supplying 
the fighting units at the front with the necessary 
materials. The men often worked day and night 
under shell fire, but they labored cheerfully and suc- 
cessfully. 

Orders, letters, and memoranda bear testimony 
to their achievement. The chief engineer of the 
First Army, Colonel G. R. Spaulding, in expressing 
his appreciation of what had been done by the troops 
aiding in the construction of railroads in the First 
Army area, wrote on November 10, 1918 : " Es- 
pecial credit is given to the 317th Engineers which 
were very instrumental in the rehabilitation of the 
lines in the Foret d'Argonne and on the line from 
St. Juvin to the north." General Pershing wrote 
to Lt. Col. J. Edward Cassidy on April 7, 1919, 
thanking him for his services and saying, " With 



178 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

the 317th Engineers on the front you gave us valu- 
able service." Lt. Colonel Cassidy himself in his 
order to the regiment on February 3, 1919, com- 
mended it for being true in the fullest sense to the 
trust reposed in it by the American people and for 
doing work of a high and efficient order. Said he: 
" For more than a hundred years the Corps of 
Engineers has maintained a proud record of achieve- 
ment, whether in peace or war, from the blazing sun of 
the tropics to the eternal ice and snow of the Arctic re- 
gions, and it is a pleasure to the commanding officer to 
be able to say that your work has been in accordance 
with the best traditions of the Engineer Service." 

The 317th Engineers " played the game " without 
fear and without grumbling in the St. Die sector and 
in the Argonne-Meuse offensive. For nearly three 
months the regiment did front line work, first as a 
part of the 33rd Corps of the 7th French Army in 
the Vosges Mountains at Frapelle, Lafontanelle, 
Lesseux, and other points in the St. Die sector, and 
later as a corps regiment of the First American Army, 
at Neuvilly, Bourielles, Cheppy, Varennes, Four de 
Paris, Abri de Crochet, La Besogne, Lan^on, Grand 
Pre, St. Juvin, Briquenay, St. Georges, and Le Mort 
Homme in the Argonne region, and at Buzancy in the 
Ardennes. For this work it was generously com- 
mended by the officials in the American Army and 
it deserved the sincere gratitude of all the American 
people. 

92ND DIVISIONAL TRAINS 

The 317th Motor Supply Train was composed of 
18 officers and 475 enlisted men. At first it operated 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 179 

35 trucks in the divisional area in France, but the 
demand soon increased this number to 49. When 
there was a scarcity of suppHes the soldiers in the 
outfit were often required to work both day and 
night and even then they were not always able to 
meet the demands made upon them. In the 317th 
Military Police there were 9 officers and 200 en- 
listed men. This group was trained at Camp Funston 
and did police duty both there and in France. The 
317th Ammunition Train consisted of 38 officers 
and 1175 men. It included the motor battalion, 
the horse battalion, ordnance, and medical detach- 
ment headquarters. Both trucks and wagons were 
used and often the men helped to move the artillery 
guns under fire. On one occasion the 367th In- 
fantry, which was under fire, gave an order for am- 
munition at 3 a. m. This was obtained by the 317th 
Ammunition Train 37 kilometers away and delivered 
under fire at 7 a. m. This unit was commanded by 
Major M. T. Dean, one of the three Negroes in the 
92nd Division who rose to that rank during the war. 

The 317th Sanitary Train included the field hos- 
pitals and also the ambulance companies of the 365th, 
366th, 367th, and 368th Infantry Regiments. These 
units were formed at Camp Funston on November 9, 
1917, with a personnel of 57 officers and 700 men, 
which last number was later increased to 860. All 
of the men were trained litter-bearers. There were 
also in the organization mechanics, cooks, horse- 
shoers, and first class privates. During the winter 
of 1917-18 epidemics of meningitis, measles, paro- 
litis, and influenza affected the command, but no 



i8o SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

deaths occurred at Camp Funston ; and meanwhile 
there were weekly inspections to safeguard the health 
of the men. The units entrained for overseas June 7, 
1917, remained eight days at Camp Upton, and 
reached Brest on June 25. It was quartered at the 
Pontenazen barracks until July 2, when it left for 
the training area at Bourbonne-les-Bains. On 
August 13 the advanced training area was reached, 
and the unit received a week of intensive training 
before it departed for the St. Die sector. 

Here field hospitals were established and func- 
tioned by the 365th at Raon I'Etape and by the 
366th at St. Die, and the 367th established dressing 
stations at Sells, Virge, and Clarice. The organiza- 
tion was moved from the St. Die sector to Givry, 
Argonne, on September 25, and there it was a part of 
the First Army for five days. Passing through 
Passovant, Jailon, and Marbache enroute to Millery, 
the 366th and 368th established field hospitals, and 
the ambulance companies of the 365th, 367th, and 
368th established dressing stations. From Millery 
the Sanitary Train went to Mayenne, where it re- 
mained until January 28. Le Mans was reached on 
February 4, 1919, and Brest on February 6, from 
which port the unit sailed on the " Olympic " on 
February 18, reaching New York on the 24th. 

That the efficiency of the Sanitary Train of the 
92nd was observed and appreciated may be seen 
from a communication from Colonel C. R. Reynolds, 
of the Medical Corps of the Second Army of the 
A. E. F., to the Division Surgeon under date No- 
vember 15, 1918. Said he : "I desire to express 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION i8i 

my Jadmiration and appreciation of the splendid 
hospital organized and administered by the Medical 
Department of the 92nd Division at Millery. Your 
department has received most favorable comments 
by the Army Commander . . . and all medical 
officers who have visited the institution. The trans- 
portation and hospitalization of the battle casualties 
and respiratory diseases have been accomplished in 
accordance with the principles of military surgery 
and preventative medicine, which reflects the intelli- 
gence and training on the part of the ofiicers, nurses, 
and enlisted men of the Medical Department of the 
92nd Division, in which pride may be justly felt." 
That the work of the 317th Sanitary Train was 
successful was due in some measure to the fact that 
the officers and men were encouraged and inspired 
by those with whom they came in contact. There 
was one promotion to the rank of major, that of 
Capt. Joseph H. Ward, and sixteen lieutenants were 
promoted to captaincies. Major Ward was com- 
missioned by cablegram on September 24, 1918. 
At first he was assigned to the 325th Signal Corps, 
but he also served as a surgeon in Base Hospital 
49, where he had been a patient. During his con- 
valescence he was asked to help dress wounds, and 
later he was given fifty cases to attend to in a tent ; 
being finally transferred to a ward as surgeon, he had 
here his regular turn on operating day, and he was 
shown every courtesy and given every privilege. 
For their specific duties it is reasonable to suppose 
that as a group the medical men were better pre- 
pared than many of the other officers. 



i82 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 



The history of the 92nd Division will always be 
of interest to the American Negro because it gave 
him his first opportunity to serve in a great military 
organization where Negro officers led Negro troops. 
The old idea that Negro soldiers would not respect 
Negro officers was proved untrue. When the war 
suddenly came to an end, however, both officers and 
men turned their faces homeward having uppermost 
in their minds some of the policies to which they had 
been subjected at times in the Army itself and in the 
welfare organizations. The commanding officer, 
Major General Charles C, Ballou, whom the officers 
and the Negro people in general had desired for the 
post after Colonel Charles Young was declared in- 
eligible, was severely criticised. Undoubtedly he 
wanted the Division to succeed, but some of the 
methods that he used and that he allowed his staff 
officers to use had a most demoralizing effect on both 
officers and men. Even in the face of all the charges, 
however, it must be said to his credit that both 
officers and men were subjected to less humiliation 
and suffering when he was with the division than 
they were after he left it, between the signing of the 
Armistice and the departure for America. The 
attitude of some of the white officers also helped. 
Brigadier General Malvern H. Barnum, command- 
ing the 183rd Brigade ; General John H. Sherburne, 
commanding the 167th Artillery Brigade ; Colonel 
Vernon A. Caldwell, commanding the 365th Regi- 
ment ; Colonel James A. Moss, who at one time 
advised the officers not to insist upon respect, yet 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 183 

worked for the interest of the 367th in France ; 
Majors Warner A. Ross and John C. Sheffield of the 
365th ; Major Appleton of the 367th, and Major 
Alfred E. Sawkins of the 366th, are especially named 
as having worked for the success of the division. 
Of Major Sawkins it is said that whatever fare his 
officers had he shared with them, that he worked for 
the interest of both officers and men at all times, and 
that the spirit of his men when they went into battle 
was always high. They suffered the greatest casual- 
ties of any battalion and won nearly half the Dis- 
tinguished Service medals which were won in the 
92nd Division. 

In the last analysis the verdict in regard to the 
92nd Division rests upon its achievement. Said 
an operation memorandum issued on November 7, 
1918, from division headquarters : 

1. When the Marbache sector was taken over by the 92d 
Division the Germans owned " No man's land " and were 
aggressive. They held : Belie Air Farm, Bois de Tete 
d'Or, Bois de Frehaut, Voivrotte Farm, Voivrotte Woods, 
Bois de Cheminot, Moulon Brook. 

2. The constant aggressive action of our patrols, night 
and day, has resulted in many casualties to the enemy, and 
the capture of many prisoners. 

3. Each of the places named above has been raided, as 
has Epley also, and patrols have penetrated north nearly 
to the east and west line through Pagny. The enemy has 
been driven northward beyond Frehaut and Voivrotte 
woods, and eastward from Cheninit woods across the 
Seilee, destroying the Cheminot bridge, flooding the Seilee, 
and attempting to destroy the Seilee bridge — evidence 
of the fact that he regards the gzd Division as an uncom- 



i84 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

fortable neighbor, and intends to avoid close relations in 
future. 

4. West of the river excellent results have followed 
energetic offensive action. The enemy has suffered losses 
in killed, wounded, and prisoners during the occupancy of 
this part of the sector. 

The memorandum issued November 18, 1918, at 
the Division Headquarters by Major General Ballou 
sums up his own estimate of the work he was able to 
accomplish, as follows : 

Five months ago to-day the 92d Division landed in 
France. 

After seven weeks of training it took over a sector in 
the front line, and since that time some portion of the Divi- 
sion has been practically continuously under fire. 

It participated in the last battle of the war with cred- 
itable success, continually pressing the attack against highly 
organized defensive works. It advanced successfully on 
the first day of the battle, attaining its objectives and 
capturing prisoners, this in face of determined opposition 
by an alert enemy, and against rifle, machine-gun, and artil- 
lery fire. The issue of the second day's battle was ren- 
dered indecisive by the order to cease firing at ii a. m., 
when the Armistice became effective. 

The Division commander, in taking leave of what he 
considers himself justly entitled to regard as his Division, 
feels that he has accomplished his mission. His work is 
done and will endure. The results have not always been 
brilliant, and many times were discouraging, yet a well 
organized, well disciplined, and well trained colored divi- 
sion has been created and commanded by him to include 
the last shot of the great world war. 

May the future conduct of every officer and man be such 
as to reflect credit upon the Division and upon the colored 
race. 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 185 

Just before the 92nd Division left France it passed 
in review before General Pershing at Le Mans and 
on this occasion he spoke as follows : " Officers and 
men of the 92nd Division, I wish to express to you 
my appreciation for your co-operation during your 
stay on the A. E. F. This Division is one of the best 
in the A. E. F., and the conduct of the officers and 
men has not been surpassed in any other. The 
officers are on the average with the officers of the 
A. E. F. Owing to the late arrival of the Division 
in France, it v/as not able to take as active part as 
was contemplated, but it had been planned to have 
the Division in the action on the east bank of the 
Moselle, which would have taken place two or three 
days preceding the Armistice, but the Armistice 
prevented. I had no fear of the Division not mak- 
ing a showing for I know what colored troops can 
do, having served with them in Cuba, the Philippines, 
and in Mexico." 

Even in the work that was done, however, there 
were outstanding individual heroes. While the 368th 
Infantry was in the Argonne, it became necessary 
to send a runner with a message to the left flank 
of the American firing-line. The way was across an 
open field swept by heavy machine-gun fire. Vol- 
unteers were called for, and Private Edward Saunders 
of Company I responded. Before he had gone far a 
shell cut him down. As he fell he cried to his com- 
rades, " Some one come and get this message ; I 
am wounded." Lieut. Robert L. Campbell of the 
same company sprang forward. He dashed across 
the shell-swept area, picked up the wounded man, 



1 86 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

and with the Germans fairly hailing bullets around 
him, carried his comrade back to the American lines. 
For their valor both men were cited for the Dis- 
tinguished Service Cross and Lieutenant Campbell 
was recommended for a captaincy. On another oc- 
casion this same officer was with a few soldiers who 
were armed only with their rifles, trench knives, and 
hand grenades picked up from small holes along the 
way, and who were moving over a road in the Cha- 
teau-Thierry sector. Suddenly their course was 
crossed by the firing of a German machine-gun. 
They tried to locate it by the direction of the bullets, 
but could not. To their right, a little ahead, lay a 
space covered with thick underbrush ; just back of 
it was an open field. Lieut. Campbell, who knew 
by the direction of the bullets that the Germans had 
not seen his party, ordered one of the men, with a 
rope which they happened to have, to crawl to the 
thick underbrush, there to tie the rope to several 
stems of the brush ; then to withdraw as far as 
possible and pull the rope, thus making the brush shake 
as though men were crawling through it. The 
purpose was to draw direct fire from the machine- 
gun and thus to locate its position. The ruse worked. 
Lieutenant Campbell then ordered three of his men 
to steal out and flank the machine-gun on one side, 
while he and the others moved up and flanked it on 
the other side. The brush was shaken more violently 
by the rope, and the Germans, with their eyes fixed 
upon it, poured a hail of bullets into it. Then at a 
given signal the flanking party dashed up, and they 
killed four of the Germans and captured the remain- 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 187 

ing three, also the machine-gun. For such exploits 
Lieut. Campbell was held up to his organization by 
the commanding general as an example of the soldier 
who combined courage and initiative. 

Lieut. Charles G. Young, of the 368th, while in 
command of a scout platoon near DInarville, Septem- 
ber 27-28, 1918, was twice severely wounded by shell- 
fire, but refused attention and remained with his 
men, helping to dress their wounds and to evacuate 
his own wounded during the entire night, and hold- 
ing firmly his exposed position covering the right 
flank of his battalion. Private Bernard Lewis, also 
of the 368th, during an attack on BInarville Septem- 
ber 30, volunteered to go down the road that led to 
the village to rescue a wounded soldier of his com- 
pany. He was compelled to go under heavy ma- 
chine-gun and shell fire, but in total disregard of 
personal danger he brought his comrade safely back 
to his lines. Private Robert M. Breckenrldge, an 
automatic rifleman, of Company B, 365th Infantry, 
at Feme de Belwir on October 29, although severely 
wounded in the leg, continued In action, crawled 
forward for a distance of a hundred yards, and as- 
sisted In preventing any enemy party from taking 
a position on the company's flank. In spite of his 
wound, he continued to use his weapon with great 
courage and skill until he was killed by machine-gun 
fire. Corporal Russell Pollard, of Company H of 
the 36Sth, during the assault on Bols Frehaut on 
November 10, skilfully conducted his squad until his 
rifle was broken. He then used his wire-cutter with 
speed and skill under heavy fire, and although 



1 88 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

wounded in his right arm, he continued to cut the 
wire with his left, assisting his men in getting through, 
until for the second time he was ordered to the 
dressing-station by his company commander. Lieut. 
Thomas Edward Jones, of the Medical Corps of the 
368th, went into an open area swept by fire to care 
for a wounded soldier who was being carried by 
another officer. While he was dressing the wounded 
runner, a bullet passed through his arm and his chest 
and a man was killed within a few yards of him. 
Corporal Van Horton, of Company E of the 366th, 
displayed extraordinary heroism near Lesseux on 
September 4. " During a hostile attack, preceded 
by a heavy minewerfer barrage, the combat group 
to which this courageous soldier belonged was at- 
tacked by about twenty of the enemy, using liquid 
fire. The sergeant in charge of the group and four 
other men having been killed. Corporal Horton 
fearlessly rushed to receive the attack, and the per- 
sistency with which he fought resulted in stopping 
the attack and driving back the enemy." 

These instances are only typical of those who were 
outstanding for bravery and who were cited for 
honors. Thus these stalwart soldiers and others like 
them upheld the record that the Negro had pre- 
viously made in the wars in which his country had 
engaged. 

SECRETARY BAKER AND GENERAL PERSHING 

In all the exploits and achievements of Negro 
soldiers in the World War, and the difiiculties that 
they encountered in their display of loyalty, it is 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 189 

not to be forgotten that there were true friends 
who were interested in them and who believed that 
each one should be given a man's chance. One 
explanation of how it was that they were able to 
" carry on " even under the most adverse conditions 
was that they believed that the men guiding the 
destinies of the American arms were fair, broad- 
minded men who would not countenance petty 
things. Wherever Negro soldiers were visited they 
always seemed to feel that Secretary Baker and 
General Pershing wanted them to have a square 
deal, and that if these officials really knew of un- 
satisfactory conditions they would endeavor to 
correct them immediately. Secretary Baker on 
numerous occasions showed that he was actuated 
by a genuine belief in democracy. This led him to 
examine into the conditions under which Negro 
soldiers worked, trained, and fought, and also to 
consider their possibilities of rendering the country 
the greatest possible service. When objections were 
made to sending Negro soldiers to certain camps for 
fear of trouble because of the Houston riot which 
occurred in 1917 just as plans were being formulated 
to call thousands of Negroes in the first draft, and 
when on other occasions pressure was strong, he 
never ceased to feel that avenues open to other 
soldiers should be open in like manner to Negroes. 
Against strong and determined opposition he saw 
that training as officers was given, and when the 
future of the first training camp was uncertain, it 
was Secretary Baker who assured the men that he 
was depending on them and expected them to reach 



I90 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

the standards set by men in other camps. While, 
as he said, he was not trying to solve the race prob- 
lem, he did put forth great effort to eliminate those 
things which tended to break down morale ; and 
it is only necessary to recall such a camp as Hill at 
Newport News, Virginia, in the winter of 1917-18 
to realize how War Department pressure was exerted 
to remedy bad conditions. 

Some of the outstanding features of Secretary 
Baker's policy with reference to Negro soldiers may 
be summarized as follows, and the statements given 
below embody his plans as stated before justice was 
sometimes thwarted: 

1. That Negro soldiers should be organized and 
trained on the same basis as all other soldiers. 

2. That Negro men should be given the opportun- 
ity to train as officers, and that those who met the 
qualifications should be appointed for service just 
as others who qualified. 

3. That a Negro man should be appointed as one 
of the assistants to the Secretary. 

4. That Negro men should receive every possible 
aid in making a thoroughgoing study of conditions 
in both American and French camps. 

5. That wherever injustice came to the attention 
of the Secretary immediate attention should be 
given to the matter and effort made to correct it. 

General Pershing's service with the Negro units 
in the regular army and his recommendation of 
Major Charles Young of the Tenth Cavalry to the 
Adjutant General of the Army from Headquarters 
Punitive Expedition U. S. Army, Colonia Dublan, 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 191 

Mexico, August 21, 1916, along with other officers 
" who had shown very high efficiency throughout 
the campaign," and his tributes to the soldierly 
qualities of Negroes on several occasions, .gave 
Negroes in America the idea that he stood for a 
square deal and would give honor to whom honor 
was due. When agitation arose over the use of 
Negro soldiers in the war. General Pershing let it 
be known that he desired Negro troops in France. 
When one of the Allies made strong objections to the 
attachment of any battalions of Negro infantry for 
training with their forces, and General Pershing 
was asked for his views by the War Department, he 
said : " In event Department still desires early to 
despatch 92nd Division,. I adhere to former recom- 
mendations that Division be included among those 

to be employed temporarily with . 

I have informed that these 

soldiers are American citizens and that I can not 
discriminate against them in event War Department 
desires to send them to France." 

When stories were circulated among Negro people 
to the effect that Negroes were being wrongly 
treated, and subjected to most dangerous positions 
to save white troops, and shot by Germans when 
captured or left to die if wounded. General Pershing 
saw that these were repudiated ; and he further said 
that " the only regret expressed by colored troops 
is that they are not given more dangerous work to do. 
I can not commend too highly the spirit shown 
among the colored combat troops who exhibit fine 
capacity for quick training and eagerness for the 



192 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

most dangerous work." When he visited any sec- 
tion of territory occupied by Americans, he always 
showed an interest in the Negro soldiers ; they 
were impressed and encouraged by his inquiry into 
the conditions under which they labored ; and his 
understanding of the hard life of the stevedores, 
and his appreciation of their efforts, did much to 
make their work less burdensome. The men also 
felt that in the case of court martials, if verdicts 
were reviewed by General Pershing, as was done in 
some important cases, absolute justice would be 
meted out. 

When in the midst of the charges and counter- 
charges relative to the fitness of Negro officers to 
lead men General Pershing was questioned about 
a few Negro officers who were declared inefficient 
by a board, he assured his hearers that because 
a few officers had been declared unfit, this was by 
no means to be construed as an indication of lack of 
capacity on the part of the race, because at that time 
more than 6000 white officers had been returned to 
the states for unfitness to lead men and certainly 
no one considered the white race a failure because 
of that fact. Finally we have seen how the General 
reviewed the 92nd Division just before it departed 
for America, commending the officers and men for 
their splendid record overseas. He assured them of 
his confidence by saying that he had planned to 
place them before the great fortress of Metz ; and 
his words did much to soften the bitterness of feeling 
and let both officers and men return to their homeland 
feeling that after all the commander and chief of 



THE NINETY-SECOND DIVISION 193 

the American Expeditionary Forces had appreciated 
their part in the great struggle. No one can tell 
what greater things might not have been accom- 
plished by Negro soldiers during the war if the 
spirit of Secretary Baker and General Pershing had 
followed them throughout the service. 



CHAPTER IX 
THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 

^TpHE organization of the 93rd Division was begun 
at Camp Stuart, Newport News, Va., in 
December, 1917, with the few remaining National 
Guard units of Negro men that had survived since 
the Spanish-American War. These units were 
battalions from Ohio and Washington, and com- 
panies from Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, 
and Tennessee which later composed the 372nd 
Infantry Regiment. This Division, which was never 
assembled or fully organized, consisted on paper of 
the 369th, 370th, 371st, and 372nd Infantry Regi- 
ments. The general who was to command it was 
ordered to Camp Stuart in December, 1917, but in 
the latter part of this month the 369th landed in 
France and was brigaded with the French, while the 
other three regiments were still training in America. 
These three arrived in France in April, 1918, when 
they too were brigaded with the French, with whom 
they served throughout their stay overseas. After 
the cessation of hostilities on November 11, 1918, 
the four regiments were reassigned to the American 
Army for return to the United States and demobili- 
zation. Their record is one of the noblest in all the 
history of American arms. Each regiment was 

194 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 195 

decorated as a whole or in part with the French 
Croix de Guerre with palm. The history of the 93rd 
Division accordingly embraces the activities of the 
four regiments that composed it, and these will be 
considered in order. 

369TH INFANTRY 

The 369th Infantry, or the old 15th New York 
National Guard Regiment, was first organized in 
New York City in 1916 by authority of the New 
York State Legislature. It was reorganized by the 
War Department as a National Guard regiment 
of the United States on April 9, 1917, and placed 
under the command of Colonel William Hayward. 
It is proud of the fact that it was the first National 
Guard regiment of the United States to reach war 
strength of 2001 men and 56 officers, that it was 
the first in the field, that it was under fire for 191 
days, longer than any other American regiment, 
and that after the armistice it led the French armies 
to the Rhine, being the first Allied unit to enter 
Germany. In all these ways its record was unique. 

The morning following its mobilization on the night 
of July 14, 1917, it was moved to Camp Whitman, 
near Poughkeepsie ; and when the President of the 
United States drafted the National Guard regiments 
on August 5, it was immediately placed on active 
duty without any training whatever. The First 
Battalion, commanded by Major Lorillard Spencer, 
guarded 600 miles of railroad in New York and New 
Jersey, several uniform and shoe factories near New 
York City, and the German ships seized by the 
United States Government. The Second Battalion, 



196 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

commanded by Major Munson Morris, did pioneer 
and guard duty at Camp Upton when it was a wilder- 
ness. The Third Battalion, commanded by Major 
Edward Dayton, with the band did similar work at 
Camp Dix, transforming it from a cornfield into a 
camp. The machine-gun company guarded 2000 
German spies interned at Ellis Island. Meanwhile 
regimental headquarters remained in New York City. 

On October 5, 1917, regimental headquarters and 
two battalions went to Camp Wadsworth, Spartan- 
burg, S. C, for training with the 27th Division, but 
after two weeks' stay in camp the regiment was 
ordered to Hoboken to embark for France. It did 
not sail on October 27 as planned because of the lack 
of equipment, and while this was being secured 
the various battalions were billeted in armories in 
different parts of New York City. On November 11^ 
1917, however, fully equipped, it went aboard the 
U. S. S. " Pocahontas," which sailed that night for 
France in a convoy. On the second day out engine 
troubles developed and the ship was obliged to re- 
turn to port. The regiment went to Camp Merritt, 
where details helped to finish the camp. It again 
embarked, but this time the " Pocahontas" caught 
fire and for ten days was tied up at the docks. On 
the night of December 13 she finally sailed, but even 
then she seemed destined not to land the regiment 
in France, for she collided with a British oil tanker 
which drove a hole in her bow. This, however, was 
repaired and the trip was completed on December 
26, when Brest was safely reached. 

The regiment was moved to St. Nazaire by rail 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 197 

on January 1, 1918, and there for more than two 
months it did manual labor, building docks, erecting 
hospitals, doing fatigue duty, laying railroad tracks, 
and doing construction work on the great dam at 
St. Nazaire. From the time of their arrival at this 
port until March 10 the men did not see their rifles 
except at night, but on this latter date they were 
ordered to join a French combat unit. All entrained 
on March 13 for Givry en Argonne, reporting on 
March 15 to General Le Gallais of the 16th Division, 
4th French Army. It was at this place that the 
regiment learned that its name was changed from 
15th New York to 369th Infantry. The American 
equipment was turned in and French equipment 
given, this including everything needed on the 
Western front. The organization of the regiment 
was also changed so as to make it conform to that of 
a French regiment. During this training period of 
three weeks the men drilled day and night under 
French officers. Beginning April 8 the battalions 
were successively placed in front-line trenches, 
" doubled " with French units, their first sector 
being in Main de Massiges, left of the Aisne River 
and northeast of Chalons in the Campagne. After 
eight days of this experience the regiment took over 
4i kilometers of front, with two battalions in the 
lines and one in support enjoying a rest period which 
gave some opportunity for additional training. On 
April 29 Colonel Hayward was placed in command 
of several French units in addition to his own regi- 
ment. 

The activity in this sector consisted of nightly 



198 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

patrols and raids until July 4 and 5, when active 
preparation was made for the big German drive long 
expected by the French high command. The 369th 
labored incessantly, helping to build and fortify the 
intermediate positions, which were two or three 
kilometers from the front line. When the battalions 
were relieved from front-line duty, instead of going 
into rest billets they worked on these positions, 
which were fortified as a means of strategy by 
General Gouraud. This procedure enabled the 
French to counter attack and to recapture trenches 
secretly evacuated. This method foiled and stopped 
the German drive on a fifty-mile front between 
Rheims and the Argonne. The 369th participated 
in this attack, with the third battalion, commanded 
by Major Spencer, occupying the front line, where 
it did its share in stopping the enemy advance. 

During the terrific bombardment of the German 
artillery, which had as its target not only the front 
line but also several kilometers of rear area, the com- 
mander of the 369th was ordered to establish liaison 
at once, if possible, between his headquarters and 
the French 27th Infantry. This meant establish- 
ing a line of relay runners over a front of three 
kilometers, the entire distance being under heavy 
shell fire. This hazardous task was performed by 
the runners of the 369th in such a courageous and 
efiicient manner and with so little thought of per- 
sonal safety that the regiment received commenda- 
tion from the division commander. 

From the time of the regiment's arrival on the 
front until the second day of this battle it was a part 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 199 

of the 16th French Division, but on the night of 
July 15, while the battle was raging, it received 
orders to reinforce the 161st French Division, which 
was being furiously attacked. A place was made 
for the 369th by taking out a French regiment which 
had been greatly reduced in both officers and men. 
In order to make the change of position, the regi- 
ment moved six kilometers under constant shell fire. 
On reporting to General LeBouc, commander of the 
161st Division, two battalions were immediately 
ordered into front- and second-line positions to re- 
lieve a Moroccan regiment. Officers and men had 
been without food or water for hours, yet they 
occupied the positions and took up the combat, which 
lasted for three days before the enemy was definitely 
checked. 

On July 18 the 161st began to push the Germans 
back and to reoccupy the abandoned terrain. Two 
battalions of the 369th shared in this undertaking 
and continued in such operations until July 21, when 
the regiment took over and established the front 
line in the Calvaire sector north of Minaucourt. 
All three battalions suffered casualties in this of- 
fensive, the third suifering most because it was in 
the front line longest. 

On July 23 the 369th occupied a sector between 
Butte de Mesnil and Main de Massiges under the 
most trying conditions. The enemy was constantly 
being pushed back, but during the process artillery 
and infantry combat hardly ceased for several days, 
and there was a constant rain of gas and high ex- 
plosive shells on all sides. The sector held by the 



200 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

369th had a front of a thousand meters, and the three 
battalions supported one another from the front line 
to the intermediate positions in the rear. Several 
raids were made each night by both sides and casual- 
ties occurred daily and nightly on the patrols and 
raids that were sent into " No Man's Land." 

The regiment was at length relieved in this sector 
and it started for Camp St. Quen south of Chalons 
to get a long promised rest. It had been under fire 
continuously for 130 days. At this camp the other 
three Negro regiments serving with the French were 
supposed to be mobilized for the complete organiza- 
tion of the 93rd Division. Barracks were cleaned 
in expectation of these troops, but before they 
reached the camp the 369th, which had been resting 
less than a week, was ordered back to the front to 
resume its place in the 161st Division. It was 
placed in a sector west of and adjacent to the sector 
of Calvaire previously held. On its return to the 
division it replaced the 115th R. I., which was broken 
up and distributed among other French units. The 
new sector was the most active and deadly the regi- 
ment had held. There were constant raids and pa- 
trols and a continuous combat of artillery. The 
Germans here used the device of having several 
aeroplanes " loop the loop " over the French lines 
in the hope that men would come out and watch 
them. If they did a projector gas attack would be 
launched immediately. 

One of the most furious attacks on the 367th was 
begun in such manner. The aeroplanes did the 
" loop the loop," which was followed by two gas 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 201 

attacks separated only by seconds. Then a terrific 
artillery bombardment started, lasting forty minutes, 
during which time it was estimated that 9000 shells 
fell on the regiment. Twenty minutes after the lull 
of the big guns seven German infantry regiments 
charged over the top to drive the 369th from its 
trenches. The First Battalion, assisted by the ma- 
chine-gun companies from the other two, met the 
assault with a steady, intensive, and continued fire 
until it broke down in front of the lines. At no point 
were the enemy able to enter the lines or capture any 
prisoners. Instead, the 369th Regiment captured 
prisoners who gave valuable and much needed in- 
formation, and it was specially commended for its 
steadiness under fire in this engagement. In this 
sector the regiment lost a large number of officers 
and men and experienced its hardest fighting. On 
September 15 it was relieved by a French Fourragere 
regiment and taken to the rear to Somme Tourbe 
and Somme Bionne, where for eight days the men 
rested. Meanwhile they were taught the principles 
of open warfare in anticipation of the attack by the 
French and American armies which was launched 
September 25, 1918. 

For this attack the infantry battalions in the 
division were placed in assault waves and commanded 
by their regimental officers. The artillery prepara- 
tion for the attack lasted six hours and twenty-five 
minutes, with French and American guns of all sizes 
going at full blast. At the zero hour (5.25 A. M.) 
the Allied armies went over the top in one of the 
biggest offensives of the war. The French and 



202 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

Moroccan battalions on the left and right of the 
369th contracted their fronts, thus leaving an open- 
ing between the French divisions ; and the Third 
Battalion, commanded by Major Spencer, advanced 
on the left and established liaison with the Moroc- 
cans. On September 26 the two units captured 
the town of Ripont, a large number of prisoners and 
machine-guns, and advanced to the Dormois River, 
a distance of more than four kilometers. Heavy 
casualties resulted from this advance ; several of- 
ficers and men were killed, and Major Spencer him- 
self was wounded six times. On the afternoon of 
the 27th Fountaine en Dormoise was captured and 
the regimental P. C. was established there. Further 
advance was held up for a while by barbed wire en- 
tanglements commanded by machine-gun nests, some 
of which were in concrete pill boxes. These, how- 
ever, were finally captured. During the night the 
Second Battalion relieved the third in the front line, 
and by daylight on the 28th it was ordered to con- 
tinue the attack with the two French battalions on 
its left and right. The artillery barrage for the third 
day's attack was ineffective, and the assaulting 
battalion had to cut its way through wire and over- 
come machine-gun nests without artillery assistance. 
The day's advance was 1000 meters over hills and 
ridges occupied and controlled by the enemy. On 
this day the battle was hottest around Bellevue 
Ridge and Bellevue Signal, with the contending forces 
trying to gain possession. After nightfall the French 
executed a brilliant flank movement with three 
battalions, including the second of the 369th, driving 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 203 

the enemy from all the trenches and terrain leading 
to the summit of the ridge. Dawn on the 29th 
found the enemy killed, captured, or driven from 
the ridge and the advance moving down the slopes 
toward the plains beyond to the town of Sechault, 
the next objective. 

The First Battalion, commanded by Major Little, 
led this advance, entering the town and engaging in 
heavy fighting in the streets and in house to house 
combat, in an attempt to clear the town of enemy 
infantry and machine-gun nests. The battalion ad- 
vanced through Sechault to the plains beyond, but 
withdrew for the night to make way for French ar- 
tillery preparation for the continued advance, which 
began on the 30th through the woods of Petit Rosiere 
and lasted until October 3. The regiment was again 
commended by the division general for the way in 
which it cleared Sechault of the enemy. The entire 
division halted to await the capture of the town be- 
cause of its importance. 

The Second and Third Battalions were sent in to 
relieve the first on October 3, but the regiment had 
suffered so many casualties in both officers and men 
that it was relieved with the 161st Division and 
carried in troop trains to Vitry-le-Francois. A little 
later it was transferred from Gouraud's Fourth 
Army, where it had served during its ofifensives, to 
become a part of the 7th French Army. 

The 369th entrained at Vitry-le-FrangoIs for Bel- 
fort on October 12, reaching its destination on the 
14th. Two days later it moved by trucks and forced 
marches to Thann in the Vosges Mountains, where 



204 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

the entire regiment was put In front-line trenches 
in the Thur sector. This was comparatively quiet, 
and from October 16 to November 11 only six casual- 
ties occurred, including one officer. 

The 369th Regiment played an important part in 
all the campaigns in which it participated, Its efficiency 
increasing with every engagement. During the time 
that it was brigaded with the French the relations 
were most cordial ; and during the last days of the 
September offensive the commanding general of the 
161st Division attached it to his own two crack 
regiments because of its fighting qualities under fire. 
While there were difficulties of language, these were 
usually overcome by the assignment of efficient 
interpreters and the French officers were enthusiastic 
in their praise of the manner in which the regiment 
fought in all Its battles. 

After the Armistice the 161st Division became a 
part of the Second French Army of Occupation. The 
369th was given the post of honor as advance guard 
in the Triumphal March of November 17, 1918, and 
led the Army of Occupation out of the mountains to 
the plains lying on the west bank of the Rhine River. 
Reaching Blodelshelm on the Rhine on the morning 
of November 18, it was the first unit of all the Allied 
armies to reach the goal toward which so many million 
men had struggled through four bloody years. The 
regiment occupied the towns of Blodelshelm, Fessen- 
heim, and Balgan, which also Included a pontoon 
bridge head and a ferry head. Meanwhile the mu- 
nicipal affairs of these towns were administered by 
the regimental commander and his troops, who also 
guarded the surrounding territory. 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 205 

Of this duty the 369th was relieved on December 4, 
and it moved to division headquarters near Ensisheim. 
On the 13th it took part in the division review, at 
which time its colors were decorated with the Croix 
de Guerre for gallantry in action in the Champagne 
offensive. The recommendation for this citation 
was made by General LeBouc, with the approval of 
General Gouraud, Marshal Petain, and General 
Pershing. The translation of the citation reads as 
follows : 

Citation for Croix de Guerre 

i6ist Division of Infantry, Sth Army Corps, Fourth 
Army {Aux Armees Franc aises) 

26gth Regiment of Infantry, United States, under com- 
mand of Colonel Hayward, who though injured insisted 
on leading his regiment in battle, of Lieutenant Colonel 
Pickering, admirably cool and brave, of Major Spencer, 
grievously wounded, of Major Cobb, killed, and of Major 
Little, a true leader of his men, fought with great bravery, 
stormed powerful enemy positions energetically defended, 
captured many machine-guns, large numbers of prisoners 
and six cannon, and took, after heavy fighting, the Town of 
Sechault. 

One hundred and sixty-seven officers and men 
received decorations, including the Congressional 
Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, 
the Croix de Guerre, and the Legion of Honor. 
Where all were brave it is almost invidious to men- 
tion names. Some of the most noteworthy exploits, 
however, were those of Henry Johnson, Needham 
Roberts, and Sergeant William Butler. The story 



2o6 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

of the first two of these men is well known to the 
American public, as they were the very first Ameri- 
cans to receive the French Croix de Guerre. Their 
achievement in repulsing a German raiding party of 
more than twenty men in a hand-to-hand combat 
served as an incentive to their comrades and as an 
example for the whole American Army. Johnson's 
feat was particularly noteworthy. Soon after the 
beginning of the encounter Roberts was wounded. 
Although surrounded by overwhelming numbers, 
Johnson continued fighting, first using hand grenades, 
then his rifle until that jammed, when he used the 
butt of it, hitting right and left. Finally he resorted 
to his bolo knife as a last means of preventing the 
capture of himself and his comrade. Although him- 
self wounded, he succeeded in killing four of the 
enemy and in wounding a large number of the others. 
In August, while the 369th was in the front lines, 
and when raiding parties from both sides went out 
nightly, on one occasion the Germans laid down an 
encaging barrage, after which they enclosed and 
captured a raiding party of one officer and four men. 
Sergeant William Butler, armed with a Chauchaut 
rifle, attacked the group with such effectiveness that 
he killed four men and wounded the officer, who was 
captured and later died, the rest being put to flight. 
The officer and four men of the 369th meanwhile 
made their escape and returned to their regiment. 
A captured German report described Sergeant But- 
ler's activities as "an enemy group in overwhelming 
numbers" and stated that because of the superiority 
of the rescuing party eight Germans, including an 



. THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 207 

officer, failed to return. For his heroism on this 
occasion Sergeant Butler was decorated by both the 
French and American Governments. 

On December 18 the 369th bade a last farewell to 
its French comrades in arms and started for Belfort, 
reaching there on the 20th. It had made an enviable 
record, serving longer than any other American unit 
as an integral part of a foreign army. In his report 
of the operations of the regiment on the western 
front, Colonel Hayward said : " It had less training 
than any American unit before action, as follows : 
3 weeks at Camp Whiteman, New York ; 10 days at 
Camp Wadsworth, South Carolina ; 2 weeks with 
French Army while changing equipment. It had 
one of the lowest, if not the lowest percentages of 
venereal infections or drunkenness in the A. E. F. 
It was 191 days in action in front-line trenches, be- 
lieved to be the longest of any American regiment. 
It never lost a trench or a foot of ground and never 
had one of its number captured by the enemy." 

With such a record the 369th turned its steps home- 
ward on January 1, 1919, arriving on the 2nd at Le 
Mans, where it remained until the 11th. It then 
entrained for Brest, reaching there on the 12th. 
The battalions sailed on three ships, and the last 
contingent arrived in New York, February 12. 

It was a happy day for these war-worn heroes when 
they saw again the Statue of Liberty and set foot on 
American shores. As one battalion steamed into port, 
the regiment's famous band, which had toured 
France under the direction of Lieut. James Reese 
Europe and had the distinction of being considered 



2o8 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

the best musical organization in the American Army, 
played the " Star Spangled Banner" and the " Mar- 
seillaise " ; and it was a sight never to be forgotten 
to see these hardy warriors stand at attention while 
the national airs of two great allies were being played. 
As they landed they were applauded by thousands of 
their kinsmen and countrymen for their glorious 
deeds ; and the greatest reception ever given re- 
turning heroes was held for the 369th by the City of 
New York on February 17, when the regiment, led 
by its band, marched up Fifth Avenue under the 
Victory Arch and through Harlem to the plaudits 
and cheers of tens of thousands who counted it a 
privilege to honor those who had so gloriously upheld 
the traditions of their country. At the end of this 
historic day's activities, the regiment entrained at 
night for Camp Upton for demobilization, which 
was completed March 1. The twelve hundred 
original survivors were discharged at Camp Upton, 
while the replacements were sent to the camps nearest 
their homes. 

370TH INFANTRY 

The 370th Infantry Regiment, which was other- 
wise known as " the old 8th " of Chicago, was one 
of the federalized National Guard units that entered 
the World War with a record of achievement and with 
a tradition to uphold. The regiment's beginning 
dates back to 1892, when a small group of men in 
Illinois banded themselves together for the purpose 
of organizing a battalion of Negro soldiers. The 
first company was formed with B. G. Johnson as 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 209 

captain, John C. Buckner as first lieutenant, and 
John R. Marshall as second lieutenant. Three years 
later a battalion was formed with John C. Buckner as 
major, and soon afterwards this was admitted to the 
Illinois State militia as the Ninth Battalion Infantry 
National Guard. This organization at the time it 
was formed gave Negro men their best opportunity 
in the country to gain a knowledge of military tactics, 
which they found useful when Congress declared 
war on Spain April 25, 1898. 

The allotment for Illinois under President Mc- 
Kinley's call for 175,000 men was seven regiments 
of infantry and one of cavalry. When these eight 
regiments left for camp and the Ninth Battalion was 
not called to the colors, the Negro people felt that 
they were wilfully being kept out of the war with 
Spain. Shortly afterwards, however, John R. 
Tanner, who served as governor of the state during 
the Spanish-American War, called John R, Marshall 
to his office and suggested that he organize a regiment 
of Negro men, in which case he would be the first 
man of his race to bear the military title of Colonel ; 
and the work of organization accordingly began. 

President McKinley's second call for 75,000 men 
on May 25, 1898, gave Governor Tanner an oppor- 
tunity to carry out his promise to put the regiment 
into service. He ordered it to Springfield, where the 
work of recruiting continued until it reached war 
strength with 1195 men and 16 ofiicers, and on 
July 23 John R. Marshall was sworn in as Colonel. 
While every other Illinois regiment had gone to Cuba 
and soldiers from all parts of the country were con- 



2IO SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

stantly embarking, the 8th remained at Camp 
Tanner in Illinois ; and just about the time the 
Negro soldiers were getting discouraged over their 
prospects of taking part in real war, Governor 
Tanner visited the camp and in a speech said : 
" Even from the doors of the White House have I 
received letters asking and advising me not to officer 
this regiment with colored men, but I promised to 
do so, and I have done it. I shall never rest until I 
see this regiment, my regiment, on the soil of Cuba 
battling for the right and its kinsmen." 

It was not Spanish shot and shell that sent many 
Americans to their graves, but the hot climate of 
Cuba and its fevers ; in some camps the sick and 
dying were found in every tent and the dead march 
was heard at every mess call. Yet when the men of 
the 8th were asked to go to Cuba to relieve the 1st 
Illinois whose men were dying daily, they readily 
said " Let's go " ; and their volunteering under 
the circumstances was especially commended by 
President McKinley. 

On August 14, 1898, the regiment arrived in Cuba 
and immediately it attracted attention by its military 
precision. Some very efficient men were officers, 
among them Major Franklin A. Dennison, who 
served as judge of claims in Santiago. When the 
regiment returned on March 17, 1900, and marched 
down Michigan Avenue, it was given a great ovation 
by the citizens of Chicago. Much of its success had 
been due to the hard work of Colonel Marshall, who 
served until January 1, 1914. He was succeeded 
by Major Dennison, who took command January 12. 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 211 

During the next year the state legislature appropri- 
ated money for the erection of a new armory. The 
corner-stone of this was laid in 1915, and it was the 
first building of its kind for Negroes in America. 
In the course of the trouble with Mexico the 8th was 
sent to the border. 

When war was declared against Germany, April 6, 
1917, the regiment was sent to Texas for preparation. 
It was in Houston during the riots between the 
citizens and the soldiers of the 25th Infantry, but 
its record for discipline was upheld. For a while 
after the riots it was not thought safe for it to remain 
at Camp Logan, but the soldierly bearing of its officers 
and men demonstrated that such fears were un- 
warranted ; and when the regiment left Texas for 
Newport News the citizens of Houston turned out to 
do it honor. Its arrival at Newport News, with a 
Negro colonel who placed Negro military police on 
the streets, created something of a sensation. On 
Washington's Birthday, 1918, three companies, led 
by Colonel Dennison and the regimental band, went 
to Norfolk to take part in a demonstration to stimu- 
late Interest in the sale of war stamps, and for the 
first time in the history of the city Negro troops 
marched at the head of a procession of several thou- 
sand American soldiers, sailors, and marines. 

The regiment did Intensive training at Newport 
News until it sailed for France. It arrived in Brest 
April 22, 1918, spent two days In the barracks at 
Pontenazen, and then journeyed for three days to 
Grandvillars, a village near the town of Belfort 
and within three miles of the Swiss border. Here It 



212 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

received intensive training under French officers for 
six weeks. The regiment made excellent progress 
and was complimented on numerous occasions. It 
was supplied with French equipment, and during 
the training period and the tin^e spent in quiet sectors 
it was attached to four different French divisions. 

At the end of the first training period the regiment 
marched on June 12 and 13 to Morvillars, where it 
entrained for Ligny en Barrois (Meuse). It then 
moved near the town of B.ar-le-Duc in the depart- 
ment of the Meuse. Here it was declared fit for 
active service, and on June 21 it was placed on the 
front line in a quiet sector in the St. Mihiel district 
for fourteen days. Leaving for the Argonne on 
July 19, it was placed in the Verdun sector on the 
plateau of Gorgia and at Hermont and Mont des 
Allieux. At the last named place, on July 24, the 
first casualty in action took place when Private 
Robert M. Lee of machine-gun company No. 2 was 
killed. The only other operation except the usual 
routine work was the raid of a Stokes mortar platoon, 
commanded by Lt. Robert A. Wood, on August 4. 
This was in the sub-sector of Vauquois. Three 
hundred rounds of ammunition were fired, the object 
being to fill up the gaps of the artillery barrage. 

On August 15 the 370th was placed at the disposal 
of General Mangin, who was commander of the 10th 
Army and who ordered the regiment in reserve along 
the Curcq River. From this position it was taken 
on September 15 to the Soissons sector with the 59th 
Division in the area of Vauxaillon with the Arlette 
Canal and Alizy Chateau as its strong salients. The 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 213 

Third Battalion, commanded by Colonel Otis B. 
Duncan, succeeded in taking the southern boundary 
of the canal. Four rifle companies were detached 
with two French regiments and assisted in taking 
Mont-des-Singes. The fighting was severe. The 
370th was usually in close support, but it also par- 
ticipated in several attacks, in all of which the ob- 
jectives were gained. 

For the first time, on September 22, the regiment 
was given a full sector extending from L'Ecluse to a 
point 300 meters west of the crossing of the Pinon 
Braucourt road. The First Battalion went into a 
position on the Oise-Aisne Canal and the Farm 
Guilliminet, the Second into a support position at 
Mont des Tombs and Les Tueries and the slopes 
west of Antioche Farm, and the third into reserve 
at Tincelle Farm. The headquarters company was 
stationed at Levilly and the supply company at 
Monte Couve. 

In the midst of the relief of the First and Second 
Battalions on the front line during the night of 
September 27, an attack was ordered at dawn. By 
the greatest effort the relief was completed and the 
Second Battalion, which was ordered to work, began 
offensive operations. These lasted three days. Dur- 
ing the night, while the relief was being conducted, 
there was considerable mixing of units. It was 
difficult to maintain liaison and as a result one com- 
pany advanced too far and a number of casualties 
resulted. 

Colonel Duncan, commanding the Third Battalion, 
was ordered on September 30 to attackfalong the 



214 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

canal from Mont des Singes to the Pinon Braucourt 
road. The fighting in this section continued until 
the evening of October 4 before it was certain that 
the enemy had been driven across the canal. Dur- 
ing this advance the patrols of the regiment were 
out nightly around L'Ecluse and along the canal. 
The 370th drove the enemy from this triangle several 
times, but it was difficult to remain where it was as 
it was the target of severe artillery and machine fire 
from two directions. This attack of the 30th is 
memorable in the annals of the 370th as it was 
against the Hindenburg line and was driving back 
the famous Prussian Guard, the flower of Emperor 
William's army. On account of the orders' being 
delayed in transmission, the advance started in broad 
daylight. It was led by Colonels Roberts and Duncan 
with other officers close by their sides. As they 
passed through a shell-torn ravine, German machine- 
gun bullets rained upon them, but they pressed for- 
ward, finally engaging in a hand-to-hand struggle 
and driving the enemy before them. The fact that 
some of the new troops got separated from their 
units In the night caused the rumor to be circulated 
that the regiment as a whole was demoralized. This 
was found to be not true, as all the objectives were 
gained and the morale of the men in the front line 
was good at all times. 

The regiment took part in the general advance 
of the division on October 12, pushing back the 
German line 70 kilometers. In this advance the 
cities of Laon and Crepy were captured. The First 
and Second Battalions were complimented by the 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 215 

commanding general, the First for Its passage of the 
strong position In Bols de Mortier and Its successful 
reaching of Its objective, and the Second for a well 
conducted march In pursuit of the enemy via Anlzy- 
le-Chateau to Cessieres, which was reached late on 
the night of the 12th. Here the division stopped 
for twelve days, ten of which were spent In cleaning 
the town and the last two in supplying the men with 
much needed clothing. During these days the First 
and Second Battalions were in the St. Gobain forest 
and the Third at Mauneux Farm. 

After this brief period of rest from fighting, the 
division went into the front line again, the First and 
Second Battalions going in near Grandllep, with the 
Third in reserve near Chambrey. There were no 
engagements between October 24 and November 3, 
but on the latter date a large shell fell and exploded 
in the midst of Company A at Chautrud Farm where 
the men were gathered around the kitchen. Thirty- 
four were killed and fifty-two wounded. 

On November 5 the enemy began a general with- 
drawal with the French following closely. The 
three battalions of the 370th continued In pursuit, 
alternating In the front line position. Company C 
of the First Battalion, Captain James H. Smith com- 
manding, took a German battery consisting of three 
field pieces ijl cannon) and two machine-guns, for 
which it was proposed for an army citation. The 
Second Battalion helped to take Beaume and Au- 
benton, while the Third had crossed the Belgian fron- 
tier when the Armistice was signed. On November 
10 the regiment celebrated the evacuation of SIgny 



21 6 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

le Petit, a town which had been occupied for four 
years by the Germans, who marched out four hours 
before the parade through the town with a French 
soldier carrying the Stars and Stripes and Color- 
Sergeant Mark P. Freeman, a Negro, carrying the 
Tricolor of France. 

After the Armistice the regiment did road work 
and fatigue duty, cleaning up the villages and towns 
where it was stationed. With the French the re- 
lations were always most cordial ; all had been 
comrades, working and fighting together for a great 
cause. In spite of the difficulties of language, which 
were often serious, the regiment showed marked 
improvement as the operations progressed. It played 
an important part in the activity of the division, as 
its numerical strength was nearly half of that of the 
infantry of the whole. During most of the advance 
to the Ailette and north of the Hindenburg line, the 
battalion operated separately, but for three weeks 
in front of the Ailette the regiment functioned as an 
organization, and it did as much work as any other 
regiment in the 59th Division. Valuable and nec- 
essary service was also rendered by 125 men of the 
regiment's depot company who were attached to the 
divisional artillery, and by 75 who were attached to 
the engineers. 

On the day that the armistice was signed General 
Vincenden commended the men of the 59th Division 
for helping to vanquish " the most powerful instru- 
ment of conquest that a nation could forge." In 
referring to the " Black Devils," he said : " The 
370th R. I. U. S. has contributed largely to the 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 217 

success of the 59th Division and has taken in bitter 
strife both cannon and machine-guns. Its units, 
hred by a noble ardor, go at times even beyond the 
objectives given by the higher command ; they have 
always wished to be in the front lines, for the place 
of honor is in the leading rank. They have shown, 
in the course of our advance, that they are worthy 
of being there." As the officers and men were leav- 
ing the French command, he further thanked and 
commended them in General Order No. 4785, which 
especially complimented the intrepidity of Colonel 
Duncan and said to the men in closing : " The blood 
of your comrades who fell on the soil of France, mixed 
with the blood of our soldiers, renders indissoluble 
the bonds of affection that unite us. We have, be- 
sides, the pride of having worked together at a 
magnificent task, and the pride of bearing on our 
foreheads the ray of a common grandeur." 

Prominent among those to whom these words were 
addressed and among those who received citations 
were Sergeant Charles T. Monroe of the Head- 
quarters Company of the regiment. Sergeant Mathew 
Jenkins of Company F, and First Lieut, William J. 
Warfield of Company L. Sergeant Monroe dis- 
played extraordinary heroism in action at Mont-de- 
Sanges, September 24, 1918. A private at the time, 
in the absence of a platoon commander he took 
charge of a platoon of Stokes mortars, directing the 
work of the men under heavy shell fire. Although 
the shelling was at times so intense that the guns 
were buried. Sergeant Monroe and his men worked 
unceasingly in placing them back in action. He 



2i8 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

himself was buried by the explosion of a shell, but 
on being dug out, continued to direct the work of his 
men and to inspire them by his fearless example. 
Sergeant Jenkins, on September 20, 1918, was in 
command of a detachment that was ordered to at- 
tack the German line. After rescuing, under fire, 
a wounded comrade, he charged with his detach- 
ment, took a fortified tunnel, and, being far in ad- 
vance of his lines and without rations and ammuni- 
tion, held the position for more than thirty-six hours 
until relieved, making use of captured guns and 
ammunition to repel the attacks made upon him. 
Lieutenant Warfield's exploit took place near Ferme 
de la Riviere, September 28, 1918. Although sepa- 
rated with his platoon from the company, he con- 
tinued to lead a stubborn resistance against enemy 
machine-gun nests, successfully capturing a gun 
and killing the crew. Although severely wounded, 
he still continued to command, refusing relief until 
his objective was reached. Altogether the regiment 
received twenty-one Distinguished Service Crosses, 
sixty-eight French Croix de Guerre, and one Dis- 
tinguished Service Medal. 

The 370th was released from the French command 
and returned to the American Army December 12, 

1918. After the change it encamped at Soissons 
until December 23, then at Le Mans until January 8, 

1919, and then at Brest until February 1, when it 
sailed for America, arriving at Camp Upton nine 
days later. As the men of the 370th turned towards 
their native land, they did so with pride in the 
achievements of their regiment and with the knowl- 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 219 

edge that it had lived up to its tradition. It had 
served on two fronts and had participated in the 
Oisne-Aisne offensive, the last great battle of the war. 
While patrols had gone forth both day and night, 
only one man had been taken prisoner. Because 
of such a record, all Chicago turned out on February 
17 to do honor to the " Old 8th." OiRces and stores 
were closed for the day, bells and whistles welcomed 
the heroes home, and at the Coliseum, where the 
regiment went after leaving the station, thousands 
gathered that they might see the war-scarred and 
medal-bedecked soldiers and hear something of their 
experiences. After this great meeting, there was 
in the afternoon a regimental parade down Michigan 
Avenue in full war equipment, amid the plaudits of 
all Chicago. At the close of the parade the regiment 
entrained for Camp Grant at Rockford for demobili- 
zation. This was completed March 12, and thus 
the noble record of the 370th became history. 

371ST INFANTRY 

The 371st Infantry Regiment, commanded by 
Colonel P. L. Miles, was organized and trained at 
Camp Jackson, Columbia, S. C. It was composed 
mainly of North and South Carolina men and was 
officered largely by Southerners. The commanding 
officer was interested in the welfare of his men, so 
also were many of the junior officers ; and in spite of 
some discouraging circumstances the soldiers were 
faithful in their work. Especially had there been 
strong protest against having Negroes trained in 
Columbia ; but in the end all such fears proved to be 



220 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

unwarranted, as the conduct of the men was above 
reproach. At the end of their training period 
citizens from all walks of life gave testimony to the 
fact that they had been a credit to their race and to 
the uniform they wore, and the Columbia State said 
that South Carolina was proud of the regiment and 
that when the men went to France they would carry 
with them the best wishes, the prayers, and the 
blessing of the best people of the state. 

Just before the regiment left for overseas, the 
colored citizens of Columbia presented it with a flag 
(March 27, 1918). As the men marched through 
the principal street of Columbia in full uniform, 
they presented a wonderful spectacle. The trans- 
formation that had been wrought in many of them 
was almost unbelievable, and mothers, fathers, 
wives, and friends came from far to see their kins- 
men on parade. After receiving the flag the regi- 
ment returned to camp, but it was soon on its way 
to France. William Slovens McNutt, in writing 
about its departure from Camp Jackson, said that 
while he was with some officers he heard a great 
shout outside and the thump, thump, thump of 
marching soldiers. On looking out he saw a Negro 
regiment passing in full array. The whole camp was 
quiet, and the only sound was that of the marching 
and the cracking of the packs. The black men from 
the cotton-fields were on their way to France. A 
big Mississippian standing near swore growlingly 
under his breath, gulped, and said : " I'm done 
talking about niggers. These boys have been fine 
soldiers here, and if they ever get back from France, 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 221 

Fm big enough to lick any man who don't give 'em 
a square deal." Then a soft, quavery voice some- 
where in the ranks began the hymn, " Will there 
be any stars in my crown ? " Others took it up, 
and soon the whole regiment was singing the old 
church song as the men tramped their solemn way 
out of camp to put their bodies to the chance of war 
on a foreign field. 

The regiment sailed from Newport News April 9, 
1918, arriving at Brest on the 23rd. For three days 
the men drilled, worked, and rested before their next 
journey to Rembercourt, the training area. One of 
its first duties was to clean up Rembercourt, and the 
soldiers were interested to find that the French people 
would not allow them to remove the cobwebs from 
the old barns used as billets because of the super- 
stition that their removal would bring harm to the 
family. Some companies were trained at Marats- 
le-Grand and others at Marats-le-Petit in the Rem- 
bercourt area. Here under French instructors they 
did intensive work, learning the French system, 
and the rapidity with which they absorbed the new 
methods gratified both the French and the American 
officers. It took the men some time to get used to 
the French rations, and Colonel Miles meanwhile 
forbade the sale of French wines or any form of 
intoxicant to the men in his charge. 

The 371st was assigned to the 157th French 
Division. Its training period lasted until June 6, 
when it was ordered to the St. Mihiel sector to join 
the 38th Division. While it was proceeding to carry 
out the orders and the regimental commander was 



222 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

making reconnaissance of the sector, the order was 
rescinded and the regiment was directed to return 
to the 13th French Army Corps. It then marched 
to Sivry-la-Perche, Bois Bourrus, Vigneville, and 
Bois de Bethlainville, where it supported the 68th 
Division from June 13 to June 22. 

On the nights of June 22 and 23 the headquarters 
company of the First Battalion entered the front line 
of the Avocourt sub-sector, west of Hill 304, for its 
first experience in modern warfare. After July 14 
the regiment moved into the Varrieres sub-sector 
in the same vicinity, and the Second and Third Bat- 
talions were in support. In this sector the regiment 
remained until September 14, most of the time with 
two battalions in the line and one in support, although 
for a short time the entire regiment was in the front 
line. During these days there was some nervous- 
ness on the part of the troops as they were constantly 
expecting an attack ; but it did not take them long 
to become accustomed to the artillery fire, and their 
nonchalant attitude won for them the admiration 
and the confidence of the French officers. 

The supporting battalion did the night work on 
the defenses destroyed by the artillery fire, and its 
nearness to the front line prevented any training 
of the regiment in offensive action. Outpost duty 
was done, and at one time the 371st covered as much 
as five kilometers, which was its own front and half 
the front of the 333rd French Infantry at its left. 
There were occasional raiding parties and nightly 
patrols, and daily there was harassing fire in the sector. 
Some men were killed or wounded in these raids, but 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 223 

on the other hand some prisoners were taken, much 
to the satisfaction of the French command. 

The 371st, though inexperienced in war, occupied 
and defended its sectors, and provided for all means 
of liaison and supply just as a French infantry regi- 
ment was expected to do. More and more its disci- 
pline improved. On September 14 it was taken from 
the Verdun region by trucks to Helitz-l'Eveque, 
Champagne, for two weeks of training in offensive 
action, but on the first day of training new orders 
came and the regiment marched to Somme Bionne, 
Champagne, in the area of the great offensive which 
was to start on September 26. On the night of the 
26th the regiment marched from the old French 
line at Boyan to Butte de Mesnil. At 12.30 on the 
27th it was ordered to a position in readiness behind 
the crest line facing north between Butte de Mesnil 
and Maison Champagne Ferme. A position astride 
the Ripont-Gratevil road was reached before day- 
light. There was heavy gun-fire and there were six 
casualties in the course of the march. 

In accordance with operation order No. 20, issued 
by the 157th Division, the First Battalion of the 371st 
Infantry attacked at 6.45 o'clock on September 28 
on a front of 500 meters on the axis Ripont, Bussy 
Farm, les Petit Rosieres, between the 161st French 
Division on the right and the 2nd Moroccan Division 
on the left. Major Joseph B. Pate, commanding the 
First Battalion of the 371st, was ordered to fill an 
interval that was reported to have occurred between 
the 161st and the 2nd Moroccan Division. On re- 
ceiving information from the commander on the right 



224 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

that no gap existed, the First Battalion attacked at 
the hour set, but machine-guns held up the advance 
for a while and caused a large number of casualties. 
At daylight it was discovered that the gap did exist, 
but defective liaison prevented getting the necessary 
aid or artillery support. As a result machine-gun 
nests had to be taken with rifle and bayonet at a 
heavy cost. 

The French and the 371st, advancing on Hill 188, 
withdrew and marched to the right flank around the 
hill, as it was filled with machine-gun nests. The 
hill was finally taken by the First Battalion of the 
371st with the assistance of a battalion of the 372nd 
Infantry. This encounter will always be remembered 
by the 371st, as it was here that the regiment lost 
the greatest number of men. Machine-gun fire 
swept the crest of the hill, but even this did not stop 
the advance. When night came a position had been 
reached 400 meters south of Le Pied. 

Personal reconnaissance by the commander of the 
Second Battalion determined that Bussy Farm had 
been evacuated by the enemy. Acting in accordance 
with orders from the 157th Division, the Third Bat- 
talion of the 371st occupied this farm at 7 o'clock 
on the morning of September 29. At 9.15 on the 
same morning the entire regiment advanced in a 
column of battalions on a front of 500 meters' dis- 
tance between the battalions and 500 meters from 
the 372nd Infantry on the right and the 333rd French 
Infantry on the left. The Third Battalion of the 371st 
captured the villages of Ardeuil, Montfauxelle, and 
the railroad station, yards, and shops just north of 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 225 

Montfauxelle ; and the advance of the regiment 
halted at these places for the night. During this 
advance Company K of the Third Battalion was on 
the extreme left near the French unit. Both were 
subjected to heavy fire from the hills before them. 
Captain Chester D. Heywood, who commanded the 
company, ordered an attack to clear the hill. This 
was successful, and thirty-five prisoners, including 
three officers, a 11 M. M. cannon with its ammunition, 
and a number of machine-guns were captured. On 
September 30 the regiment advanced in the same 
formation as on the preceding day, with the Third, 
Second, and First Battalions from front to rear in the 
order given. Trieres Farm was captured by the Third 
Battalion, which was far in advance of the troops on 
its right and left. While in this position it was sub- 
jected to heavy fire and there were heavy losses. 
The Second Battalion was deployed to the right and 
met the same opposition. 

On October 1 at 5 o'clock the regiment was re- 
lieved of front line duty and carried to the rear to 
reorganize. There it remained until October 6. 
Before entering the great Champagne campaign it 
had had no training in offensive operations for bat- 
talions, and the signal platoon had had experience 
only in a defensive sector. Lack of training on the 
part of the signal platoon prevented the regiment 
from obtaining artillery assistance even sometimes 
when it was sorely needed in the advance. In spite 
of this handicap the regiment carried the attack 
forward in advance of adjacent troops. No French 
troops led the way for the 371st. It marched into 



226 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

battle and maintained its approach formation under 
heavy fire without faltering. Many officers stayed 
at their posts even when wounded, continually en- 
couraging their men ; and on the other hand there 
were numerous acts of heroism and devotion to duty 
on the part of the men. 

During the regiment's advance it shot down three 
German aeroplanes which were flying low and direct- 
ing the firing. This was a unique record. Ninety 
prisoners were taken, and of a total strength of 2384 
the losses of the regiment in the Champagne offensive 
were as follows : Officers, killed 4, died of wounds 4, 
wounded 41, total 49 ; Enlisted men, killed 101, died 
of wounds 6, wounded 866, total 973 ; Missing 30 ; 
Total 1052. 

Such figures are cold. Let us note some of the 
concrete deeds that were afterwards cited for honors. 
Near Champagne, on September 28, Corporal Sandy 
E. Jones was engaged as company clerk and was 
left behind to care for the company records. " When 
he learned that all the company ofiicers had become 
casualties, he immediately went forward, and, col- 
lecting the scattered elements of the company, re- 
organized them under most trying and difficult con- 
ditions." Private Reuben Burrell, " although pain- 
fully wounded in the knee, refused to be evacuated, 
stating that if he went to the rear there would not 
be enough left for his group to function." Privates 
Ellison Moses and Junius Diggs, after their com- 
panies had been forced to withdraw from advanced 
positions, " went forward and rescued wounded 
soldiers, working persistently until all of them had 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 227 

been carried to shelter." Four other men, among 
them Bruce Stoney, Charlie Butler, and Willie 
Boston, " crawled 200 yards ahead of our lines under 
violent machine-gun fire and rescued an officer who 
was lying mortally wounded in a shell hole." These 
are only a few of the individual acts of heroism. 

After the Champagne offensive the regiment was 
withdrawn and sent to a quiet sector in the Vosges 
Mountains, the Bonhomme sub-sector in Alsace. 
It remained there from October 16 until after the 
Armistice, with the assistance of one battalion of 
Chasseurs holding over eight kilometers of front. 
There were no important operations here and for the 
first time the reserve battalions were given intensive 
training. 

During the service with the French there were 
always the most cordial relations. General Goybet 
had sincere aifection for these Negro troops and took 
personal pride in what they did. Other generals 
and the French soldiers also learned to respect and 
admire them for their soldierly qualities and their 
bravery ; and so did the Moroccan division. Gen- 
eral Gamier Duplossis, commander of the 9th Army 
Corps of France, after watching the deeds of the 
371st and 372nd in the Champagne offensive, said, 
" I salute the brave American regiments who have 
equalled in intrepidity their French comrades." 
Colonel Quillet, who commanded the regiment in 
the decisive battle that brought victory, said : " In 
sectors they have shown endurance, a vigilance, a 
spirit of devotion, and a remarkable discipline. In 
battle they have taken by storm with a magnificent 



228 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

animation very strong positions doggedly defended 
by the enemy." On October 11, when the regiment 
came out of battle, the commander of the 157th 
Division wrote Colonel Miles, saying, " Your troops 
have been admirable in their attack " ; and when 
the famous 157th " Red Hand Division " was 
broken up. General Goybet commended the Ameri- 
can Negro soldiers for the part they had taken in 
the great struggle as follows : " During seven months 
we have lived as brothers in arms, sharing the same 
works, the same fatigues, the same dangers ; side by 
side we have participated in the great Champagne 
battle, which was crowned with a prodigious victory. 
The 157th Division will never forget the irresistible 
dash, the heroic push of the colored American 
troops. . . . The most formidable defenses, the 
best organized machine-gun nests, the most smash- 
ing artillery barrage could not stop them. These 
elite regiments crossed all of it with a superb disdain 
of death and, thanks to their courageous devotion, 
the Red Hand Division during nine days of hard 
struggle always held the lead in the historic advance 
of the Fourth Army." 

For its splendid fighting in the Champagne battles 
the regiment was commended by the French high 
command and the regimental colors were decorated 
by Vice-Admiral Moreau in Brest January 27, 1919. 
The citation reads as follows : 

The ^yist R. I. U. S. has shozvn, during its first engage- 
ment, the very best qualities of bravery and audacity which 
are characteristic of shock troops. 

Under the command of Colonel Miles, it launched itself 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 229 

zvith a superb spirit and admirable disregard of danger at 
the assault of a position stubbornly defended by the enemy. 
It took it by terrible fighting, under an exceptionally violent 
machine-gun fire. It then continued its progression in spite 
of the fire of enemy artillery and its cruel losses, making 
numerous prisoners, securing cannon, machine-guns and 
i^nportant material. 

PET AIM, 
Marshal of France. 

Thirty-four individual Croix de Guerre for officers 
and sixty-nine for enlisted men, one Legion of Honor, 
and twenty-one Distinguished Service Crosses were 
awarded to members of the regiment. The 371st 
sailed from Brest February 3, 1919, and arrived at 
Camp Upton February 11th. Thence the men were 
sent to the camps nearest their homes, and most of 
them naturally went to Camp Jackson. Amid the 
plaudits of the city of Columbia they returned the 
flag that had been given them, and South Carolina, 
that had hesitated to receive and train these black 
sons of hers, had the magnanimity to admit that no 
other organization that represented the state in the 
World War had shed as much luster upon it or 
brought as much glory to it as the 371st Regiment 
of Negro soldiers. 

372ND INFANTRY 

The 372nd Infantry Regiment was organized at 
Camp Stuart, Newport News, in January, 1918, 
of infantry troops from the First Separate Battalion 
of Washington, D. C, the Ninth Separate Battalion 
of Ohio, First Separate Company I of Maryland, 



230 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

First Separate Company K of Tennessee, First 
Separate Company M of Connecticut, and Company 
L of the 6th Massachusetts Regiment. These or- 
ganizations had survived since the Spanish-American 
War by reason of the enthusiasm of a few com- 
manders who had held them together from year to 
year in spite of handicaps, until the call to arms in 
1917. 

Every one of these units had made an interesting 
record. The First Separate Battalion of Washing- 
ton was the first unit of district guardsmen to be 
mobilized for duty on the Mexican Border in 1916. 
It served for four months, spending a part of the 
time at Naco, Ariz., where it guarded waterworks. 
On March 29, 1917, just before the United States 
entered the war, it was mustered into the Federal 
service and called to guard the White House, the 
Capitol, and other Government buildings and rail- 
road properties around Washington. The Ninth 
Ohio Battalion was composed of companies from 
Springfield, Cleveland, and Columbus. It was called 
to the mobilization center in 1916, but was not 
ordered to the border. In July, 1917, when the 
regiment was called to service, efforts were made to 
raise it to war strength, which was finally reached 
at Camp Stuart. The First Separate Company of 
Maryland was organized in the 80's by Capt. William 
R. Spencer, who commanded it for nearly thirty 
years. In 1917 it first went to Pittsburgh for guard 
duty, but later was sent to Camp McClellan, Annis- 
ton, Ala., where it served at the remount station 
until it was ordered to France. While at Camp 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 231 

McClellan it participated in a review of thirty-five 
thousand men and was conceded by the reviewers 
to be the best drilled company in the line of march. 
Company K of Tennessee, commanded by Captain 
Hadley, was the only National Guard company of 
Negro men in the South. It trained at Camp 
Sevier, Greenville, S. C, before joining the 372nd 
at Newport News. Company M of Connecticut 
was one of the two National Guard companies in 
New England composed of Negro men. During 
the years of its existence it trained in camp with 
the Connecticut National Guard, which as early as 
1904 it accompanied to Manassas, Va., for the Bull 
Run sham battle. During the maneuvers an un- 
fortunate incident occurred, two troopers in the 
unit opposing this company being injured, and it 
was withdrawn from further participation in the 
event. Company L, of the Sixth Massachusetts 
Regiment, was the only Negro company attached 
to a white regiment in the United States ; and 
William J. Williams, the first captain, was the first 
Negro to receive that commission in the United 
States Volunteer Army. This company served in 
the Spanish-American War, and it was mustered 
into the Federal service on the day that the United 
States declared war on Germany. It was first sent 
to Fort Smith, N. H., where it remained until July. 
Thence it was moved successively to Framingham, 
Ayer, the Watertown Arsenal, where it was raised 
to war strength, then to Westfield, and thence to 
Camp Greene, Charlotte, N. C. In January, 1918, 
it was ordered to Camp Stuart to join the other 



232 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

National Guard units preparatory to the formation 
of the 372nd Regiment under the command of 
Colonel Glendie B. Young. While organization was 
being completed, the men were given three months of 
intensive training in all forms of offensive and de- 
fensive tactics. 

On March 30 the regiment sailed for France, ar- 
riving at St. Nazaire on April 13. It was stationed 
in one of the rest camps outside the city, details doing 
stevedore work at Montoir until the 21st, when the 
regiment was ordered to the Givry-en-Argonne 
training area, where it was billeted at Conde-en- 
Barrois. Under French officers intensive instruction 
was given in the use of hand and rifle grenades, ma- 
chine-guns and automatic rifles, trench construc- 
tion and battle formations ; and during this period 
the regiment was reorganized in accordance with 
the French table of organization and became an inte- 
gral part of the 63rd Division of the French Army. 

Leaving Conde-en-Barrois on May 27, the 372nd 
proceeded to towns in the Meuse and Vosges De- 
partments, there to await operation orders. These 
were received on June 6, the different battalions 
being assigned to the sub-sector Argonne (Meuse), 
which was placed under the command of Colonel 
Young. The First Battalion was located at La 
Noue and Les Islettes as reserve to the 63rd Division, 
the Second at Camp Kapp and Basse Chevrie, and 
the Third at Courtes Chousses. There were no large 
offensive operations in this sector, but patrols from 
both sides gave the regiment its first real opportunity 
to see modern warfare. 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 233 

On June 21 the 372nd was transferred from the 
63 rd to the 35th French Division, the latter having 
reHeved the 63rd. On June 27 the commanding 
officer of the 35th Division ordered the 372nd to 
reHeve the 123rd French R. I. in the Vauquois Sector 
(Meuse). This relief, which was made by the bat- 
talions going into the line separately, continued until 
July 3, when it was completed. On July 2 the 
regiment was again transferred, this time to the 
157th " Red Hand " Division. It was immediately 
ordered to occupy new positions in support, and 
from July 11 to 14 it relieved the 49th French R. I. 
in sub-sector Courcelles. The First Battalion on 
the night of the 11th moved to Bois de Fencheres, 
the Second and supply company on the following 
night to Camp Demougin at Brabant, and the Third 
and headquarters company to Locheres. On July 4, 
1918, Colonel Herschel Tupes relieved Colonel Young 
in the command of the regiment. 

The 372nd moved into second-line positions on 
July 18. The First Battalion was stationed at sub- 
sector West, the Second at Vigneville, and the Third 
at Bois de Bethelainsville. On the 26th the regi- 
ment moved into a sub-sector of Hill 304 in the 
Verdun region, where it relieved the 333rd French 
Regiment. This relief was completed on the 28th, 
with the First Battalion in the front line left of sub- 
sector 304, the Second on the right of 304, and the 
Third in reserve at Camp Dormandie. The regiment 
remained in the Verdun region throughout the 
month of August. Here it took part in no offensive 
operations except active patrol duty ; yet the men 



234 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

were under constant bombardment, which made the 
line of communication difficult to hold in order. 
Detachments took part in two attacks, which were 
accompanied by artillery operation put over by the 
333rd French Regiment. On both occasions the 
men of the 372nd were praised for their conduct 
under fire. Sub-sector 304 was organized and con- 
solidated for the first time by this regiment. 

While in this sector the Negro officers, many of 
whom had been with their units for years, were re- 
moved. It was natural that the removal of those 
who had helped to organize and promote their or- 
ganizations should affect the morale of the regiment 
for a time, but the men finally adjusted themselves 
to the changes and the work of the regiment pro- 
ceeded. 

On September 8 the 129th U. S. Infantry relieved 
the 372nd. The battalions marched to Bois de 
Brocourt and Bois de Foucheres, where they re- 
mained until September 12, when orders arrived to 
leave for the training area in Brienne le Chateau. 
Four days later they were ordered by train to Vitry- 
le-Francois in Haute-Marne, and thence they pro- 
ceeded by night marches through Jussacourt, Con- 
tault-le-Maupas, Dommartin-sur-Yevre, and Mes 
Maigneaux to Hans, ten kilometers west of Ste. 
Menehould, where they arrived on September 25. 

In the big off"ensive the attack which had been 
scheduled for the Fourth Army began at 5.25 on the 
morning of September 26. The mission of the 157th 
French Division was " to exploit the successes after 
the initial breaking through attack had attained the 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 235 

assigned objectives." The 372nd was ordered to 
advance at 3 in the afternoon. The headquarters 
and headquarters company occupied the north bank 
of Marson Brook, and the three battalions were on 
the south of the brook. On the 27th the First and 
Third BattaHons marched north to new positions in 
Ravin d'Hebaterne, while the Second Battalion was 
held in reserve for the 157th Division. On the 28th 
the Second Battalion advanced to Ripont by Cor- 
duroy road. The Third was ordered to attack north 
of Ripont Rouvroy road, which it did at 11.30. 
Stubborn resistance was offered by the enemy from 
their entrenchments on Crete-des-Observatoires, but 
after hard fighting, which lasted the entire after- 
noon, this position was rushed and cleared. The 
Third Battalion captured in this advance 60 pris- 
oners, one 105-calibre field-gun, two 77-calibre field- 
guns, 2 anti-tank rifles, and large quantities of 
material and small arm ammunition. The Third 
Battalion continued its advance until night, reach- 
ing the woods south of Bussy Farm, three and a 
half kilometers north of Ripont. Its ranks had 
been greatly depleted in the day's operations. 

On September 29 the First Battalion was ordered 
to attack towards Moulin, L'Avebrune, and then 
towards Challerange, but after starting the attack 
it was obliged to leave its direction of attack and 
advance toward Sechault because of the strong re- 
sistance from that direction. The town was finally 
captured, the First Battalion of the 372nd assisting. 
Because of the casualties suffered by the First and 
Third Battalions, they were ordered at nightfall 



236 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

to the woods south of Bussy Farm, where they were 
reorganized Into one provisional battalion. 

On September 30 the Second Battalion advanced 
to a plateau 250 meters south of Bussy Farm and on 
October 1 to Trieres Farm, where it relieved a bat- 
talion of the 371st Infantry. The provisional bat- 
talion, commanded by Major Johnson, advanced 
three kilometers north of Sechault on the Sechault- 
Monthoise road, capturing the town of Ardueil. 
On October 3 the advance was held up, pending the 
capture of Croix de Langley, west of Monthoise, by 
the 120th French Division, which was stopped in 
its advance. The enemy took advantage of a heavy 
fog on the 4th and launched a strong counter-attack, 
assisted by heavy artillery preparation. This at- 
tack, which developed into a hand-to-hand combat, 
was completely repulsed by two battalions of the 
333rd French Regiment, and the Second Battalion 
of the 372nd, the enemy leaving behind 55 prisoners 
and 6 machine-guns. 

The 372nd was relieved on October 6 by a French 
regiment and moved southward to the north banks 
of Marson Brook for the 7th, and on to Somme 
Bionne, 12 kilometers west of Ste. Menehould, on 
the 8th. Its fighting qualities were put to severe 
test in the Champagne offensive from September 26 
to October 7. The nature of the . attack may be 
judged by the losses sustained. Seven officers and 74 
enlisted men were killed and 32 officers and 435 men 
were wounded. Three of the wounded officers after- 
wards died. 

The regiment entrained at Valmy in Champagne 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 237 

on the 11th for Alsace, arriving at Corcieux in the 
Department of Vosges the following day. Here it 
detrained and marched to St. Leonard, preparatory 
to entering the front lines to relieve the 70th French 
Infantry at Ban-de-Laveline in sub-sector B on the 
15th. It remained in this sector until after the 
armistice. On the night of November 7 patrols were 
sent out from each battalion to gain contact with 
the enemy, who were believed to be retreating. A 
patrol from the Second Battalion, consisting of an 
officer and twenty-three men, advanced two kilo- 
meters into territory occupied by the Germans, who 
surrounded them. The officer and one man were 
killed. All the rest, a number of whom were 
wounded, were captured, with the exception of one 
man, who made his escape and returned to the bat- 
talion. On the last morning of the war another 
patrol went 1200 meters into the enemy's line and 
captured a soldier of the 2nd Ersatz Bavarian Regi- 
ment. There were no heavy offensives in sub- 
sector B, but there was aggressive patrolling, which 
secured valuable information from the enemy. On 
November 17 the regiment was ordered to Granges, 
Ammontzev, and Jussarupt in the Vosges, where 
it remained until January 1. At Ammontzev, on 
December 17, 1918, General Goybet, commander 
of the 157th French Division, awarded the Croix 
de Guerre to those officers and men who had won the 
coveted prize, and Colonel Tupes presented to eight 
men the Distinguished Service Cross. 

The 157th, the " Red Hand Division," was ordered 
dissolved on December 20. At the same time the 



238 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

372nd was returned to the American Army. The 
regiment had served with the French since April* 

1918. During that time the relations had been 
most friendly, the men of the two nations working 
together in perfect harmony. The 372nd played 
an important part in the operations of its division. 
Its occupation of sub-sector Argonne Quest, con- 
sidered a phase of training, was satisfactorily con- 
ducted. In the Vauquois sub-sector its mission was 
difficult and important, namely, the defense of 
C6tes-de-Foriment, the key to the Aire Valley, which 
was threatened by a German offensive. Its fighting 
in the Champagne and its capture of Crete-des- 
Observatoires, the key to Challerange and Monthois, 
caused the French Higher Command to say that its 
achievements were equal to those of any French unit 
in its division. 

The regiment entrained for Le Mans on January 1, 
arriving two days afterwards. There it remained 
until the 11th, when it was ordered to Brest, where 
it arrived on the 14th. At Brest, on January 24, 

1919, the regimental colors were decorated with the 
Croix de Guerre with palm by Vice-Admiral Moreau 
of the French Navy. The citation said : 

The ^y2nd Infantry 

Gave proof during its first engagement of the finest qualities 
of bravery and daring exploits, which are the virtues of as- 
saulting troops. 

Under the orders of Colonel Tupes, dashed with superb 
gallantry and admirable scorn of danger, the assault of a 
position continuously defended by the enemy, taking it by 
storm under exceptionally violent machine-gun fire, continued 



THE NINETY-THIRD DIVISION 239 

the progress in spite of the enemy's artillery fire and severe 
fire. Made numerous prisoners, captured cannons, many 
machine-guns and important war material. 

(Signed) QUILLET, 
Colonel, Commanding Ijyth L. D. 

Of individual heroes in the regiment thus cited for 
gallantry there were many. Two of the most out- 
standing were Corporal Clarence R. Van Alen, of 
Boston, and Sergeant Clifton Merrimon, of Cam- 
bridge, both of whom were members of the " Old 
6th Massachusetts " and both of whom received the 
extraordinary triple decoration of the Croix de 
Guerre with palm, the Distinguished Service Cross, 
and the Medaille Militaire. On the morning of 
September 28, 1918, when his company was under a 
gruelling fire from hidden German machine-gun 
nests. Corporal Van Alen, having determined the 
location of one of these, rushed it single-handed. He 
killed four of the operators and brought the other 
three as prisoners into the American lines, himself 
escaping with a few scratches. Later on the same 
day, and during the same engagement, he rushed 
and captured single-handed a trench mortar battery 
that was inflicting severe losses upon the French 
lines. Corporal (afterwards Sergeant) Merrimon, 
near Bussy Farm on September 27, made an attack 
with hand grenades on an enemy machine-gun which 
was causing heavy losses to his platoon, and suc- 
ceeded in killing the gunner and putting the gun out 
of commission. He then reorganized the remainder 
of the platoon, leading his men to their position south 
of Bussy Farm. Although gassed himself, he si- 



240 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

lenced the machine-gun single-handed. Colonel 
Tupes himself was decorated with the Croix de 
Guerre, and altogether four members of the regi- 
ment received the Medaille Militaire and fifty-two 
the Croix de Guerre. 

The 372nd sailed for America on February 3, 1919, 
landing at Hoboken on Lincoln's Birthday. De- 
mobilization was completed on March 6. 



Of such nature was the work and the fighting of 
the 93 rd Division of the American Army in France, 
which was composed of Negro soldiers and whose 
different regiments were so largely decorated with the 
Croix de Guerre with palm. 



CHAPTER X 

HOME-FIRES 

" Keep the home-fires burning, 

While your hearts are yearning ; 
Though your lads are far away 

They dream of home ; 

There's a silver lining 
Through the dark cloud shining ; 

Turn the dark cloud inside out 

Till the boys come home." 

MpO the American returning from France in 1919, 
-*• the whole country that had been the scene of 
the war came back like a panorama or a dream. 
The moans of the dying and the devastation of 
homes and villages mingled with the treasures of art 
and the shrines of devotion. Perhaps he recalled 
the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, the Palace of Kings 
at Fontainebleau, the tombs of Voltaire and Rousseau 
and Hugo, the Luxembourg, or the never-to-be-for- 
gotten Promenade at Nice. Roman ruins and 
amphitheatres, the parade on Bastille Day, fireworks 
on the Seine, nights at the opera, the games at the 
Pershing Stadium, the endless coming and going at 
Brest, even memories of Heloise and Abelard, all 
crowded upon the mind to awaken wonder. But 
above all, far above all, came back the France of 

241 



242 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

the Great Soul, of Liberty and Fraternity and Cour- 
age, of the " Marseillaise," — of Verdun and the 
deathless word, " lis ne passeront pas." 

It is a country to love, a country worth dying for. 
Yet few Americans would prefer even France to their 
own wonderful land. Memories of those at home 
rushed back even on the field of battle ; and though 
he lived in Mississippi or Montana, to the returning 
soldier even the harbor of New York spoke of home. 
After all there is nothing like the land of one's birth 
and loved ones. " One touch of nature makes the 
whole world kin." 

To the Negro soldier who went to France the 
experience was, as for every soldier, one ever to be 
remembered. Some men who in Alabama or Louisiana 
had in all their lives hardly been twenty-five miles 
from home were suddenly taken thousands of miles 
away, across the Atlantic, to decide the fate of em- 
pires. Altogether four hundred thousand Negro 
men answered their country's call. Of these a little 
more than half saw service abroad, and many never 
came back. 

Of those who remained at home importance at- 
tached to an organization of which little has been 
said in these pages, that of the Students' Army 
Training Corps. Units of this were established in 
twenty representative educational institutions, and 
with inspiring ceremony on October 1, 1918, the 
flower of the young men of the nation, in these and 
other colleges, took the oath of loyalty to the flag. 
Meanwhile black fathers and mothers invested 
millions of dollars in Liberty Bonds and War Savings 



HOME FIRES 243 

Stamps and contributed generously to all the numer- 
ous " drives " ; and history has not yet told of how 
much the Negro woman, working hard in the fields 
of the South, did to feed her country and the world 
while the war was on. 

To the Negro soldier no thought was dearer or 
more inspiring than that of these women at home, 
so largely defenceless ; and no hope was stronger 
than that the future might be better for them and 
their children. Only such feeling explains the tender- 
ness, even the tears, with which the men in uniform 
greeted the women of their race who in one way or 
another strove to help them. At Camp McClellan 
one man was daily growing weaker from pneumonia. 
One morning a Negro woman who was a member of 
the Red Cross brought some flowers to be given to 
him. A beautiful rose was selected by the Chap- 
lain who, when giving it to the soldier, said, " This 
is the flower that the lady brought you this morn- 
ing." " For me f " asked the man ; then, looking 
at the gift with all its beautiful suggestion, he said, 
" Chaplain, I am twenty-three years old. Do you 
know that this is the first time anyone ever gave 
me a flower ? " Overseas it was the same. To one 
talented young woman who went to France to try 
to bring good cheer, and who inspired the men by 
her beautiful playing on the piano, a soldier wrote 
appreciatively : " I just want to thank you for the 
way you entertained us soldiers last evening and say 
that you really did bring sunshine to us all. To-day 
it seems that a burden has been lifted ofl^ us, and we 
wish you could stay in' our camp forever. I feel 



244 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

better than I have felt in the whole eleven months 
that I have been overseas. All the soldiers are 
talking of you to-day ; it has been a year since some 
of them saw a colored woman. A friend of mine is 
from Cincinnati and he joins me in wishing you 
Good Luck and Godspeed." 

Not only through the personal presence of such a 
worker as this but in far-reaching and unseen ways 
the influences of home were brought to bear upon 
the men at the front. Sometimes in the darkest night 
the great good cheer and the big heart of the Negro 
shone forth. More than one man *' higher up," 
while on patrol in No Man's Land, was buoyed up 
by the simple faith of an untutored Negro lad. *' Of- 
ficer," said one, in such a situation, " it is hard, but 
I'm with you to the end." On another night, before 
they went over the top, six boys were in a dug-out. 
After talking things over, one suggested that they 
say the Lord's Prayer. Only one knew it ; but while 
a game of dice was going on in another corner, the 
little group knelt and repeated the words, gathering 
strength for the attack that was to come before the 
new day. Hearing a slight noise toward the close, 
they turned and saw that a major had come into 
the dug-out. " Let's say it again, boys," he said, 
" it gives me more courage too." Then they knelt 
again and the officer joined with them in the prayer. 

In many ways the war meant the awakening of 
new impulses. As one traveled through the South, 
again and again he noticed a service flag at the 
window, sometimes in a cabin forlorn and dilapi- 
dated, sometimes in one neat and in a cluster of trees 



HOME FIRES 245 

or surrounded by cotton. Sometimes there was only 
one star, but often there were two; and whenever 
those stars appeared they meant that the deeper 
springs of life were being stirred, and that a people 
whose horizon had been limited was beginning to 
think in terms of the world. If such was the influence 
at home, even stronger was that with the men who 
went to France. They were thrilled with a new hope. 
One and all they were willing to give their very lives 
if things might be better for those in the little home 
in South Carolina or Georgia. They had seen their 
glorious Stars and Stripes and they knew that they 
had not fully realized its benefits ; but now as never 
before that banner unfurled meant democracy, 
and as a beacon light it pointed the way for all lovers 
of liberty. Negro men went to war believing that 
a new day was dawning for them, and that loyalty 
to their country's cause in her hour of need would 
be the means of their enjoying in fuller measure the 
blessings for which they were fighting. In that faith 
they were willing to face shells and gas at Verdun, 
in Champagne, and in the Argonne, or wherever 
duty might lead them. 

When the war closed then, it is unfortunate that 
the experiences of thousands of these men had em- 
bittered them instead of bringing them into the free- 
dom for which they had longed. Let us pass over 
smaller matters and consider only two of the larger 
reasons that accounted for their feeling. It is possible 
that no group similarly situated did more to make 
Armistice Day possible than did the American Negro 
soldiers ; and we have seen that the record of the 



246 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

369th Infantry was such that it was given the honor 
of leading French troops to the Rhine. When, how- 
ever, in Paris, on July 14, 1919 — on Bastille Day, 
the day of freedom — the Allied generals and their 
armies participated in the greatest military demon- 
stration in the history of the world, the American 
Negro was not there. Other nations had all the races 
that fought under their flags in line. Belgium had 
her black colonial troops ; England had Indians 
and Africans with her own sons and her soldiers from 
the colonies ; and France had her Senegalese, Moroc- 
cans, Algerians, Soudanese, and Madagascans : every 
race that came to her defence was in her victorious 
army on that memorable day. Only America left 
her Negro troops behind. The last soldiers in the 
Victory Parade passed down the Champs Elysees, 
and still the hero of the 369th or the 371st had not 
appeared. He alone in the day of glory was the 
Disowned, the Disinherited. 

Then there was " Le Pantheon de la Guerre," a 
great painting by "Pierre Carrier-Belleuse, Auguste 
Francois Gorguet, and their associates, who on the 
morrow of the victory of the Marne undertook a 
work for the glorification of France." Standing be- 
fore the painting one beheld thousands of French 
heroes, officers of all ranks, and soldiers, gunners, 
horsemen, sailors, and aviators — every group that 
represented France. Along the right of this great 
circular painting were seen the Allied nations, repre- 
sented by their sovereigns, statesmen, and military 
leaders, with representatives of the groups that 
assisted in the great struggle. Colonial as well as 



HOME FIRES 247 

European soldiers were there. In the American 
group President Wilson stood in the center with one 
of his peace documents, and on either side were mem- 
bers of the cabinet, statesmen, military and naval 
leaders. Every group of Americans was supposed 
to be represented, and all were there — soldiers, 
sailors, business men, farmers, cowboys, Indians, — 
all except the Negro, the Negro soldier, and the 
stevedore who bore the heavy load. It was not 
sufficient to say to the Negro that this was an acci- 
dental omission ; he knew better. 

This, then, is the question for Americans. Either 
these things are true or they are not. Either they 
are just or they are not. That they are true every- 
body knows. That they are just we leave to the 
conscience of our readers. 

Meanwhile let us remember that now as ever the 
Negro has faith in his country and in the principles 
for which it stands. In every crisis he has been 
loyal and true. In the World War, in spite of propa- 
ganda, he answered promptly every call. For him, 
as for others, the draft was a great Americanizer. 
It did within a year what decades of quiet existence 
would not have done. It carried him far from his 
home and showed him other peoples and other cus- 
toms ; and as never before he realized that he was 
to do a man's part for his own country's welfare. 

As a result of the war also there was co-operation 
between the races in communities where previously 
little or none had existed. The inter-racial com- 
mittees that have been organized throughout the 
South are the direct outgrowth of efforts to work 



248 SIDELIGHTS ON NEGRO SOLDIERS 

together in the course of the war. The welfare or- 
ganizations moreover introduced for Negro young 
men and women such wholesome recreation as had 
not been enjoyed by them in large numbers before. 
Through this work standards developed and a new 
appreciation of the place that such recreation should 
have in the lives of the youth of the race. 

And in the years to come who will read of the work 
of the Negro stevedores without feeling that America 
owes a great debt to these men ? They had a heavy 
and sometimes an unpleasant task, but the zeal with 
which they worked hastened the peace and saved the 
lives of thousands of men. In the 92nd Division 
also more than 20,000 Negro men were moulded into 
a great fighting organization, officered largely by 
Negroes for the first time in the history of America ; 
while the record of the 93 rd Division is one to make 
not only ever Negro but also every American proud. 

Such memories linger in the mind of every man 
who played his part on the field of battle, and also 
of that one who offered himself for his country but 
happened not to be called to the front. Forgetting 
themselves, but uplifted with hope, they went forth 
in the spirit of the Master. Risking life itself, they 
were willing to die, if need be, that others might live. 
They had only sublime faith in their country, and 
over all was the divine purpose, " For God and Home 
and Native Land." 



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